December 14, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Nov. 9, 2021

I am here at village board. Terri Cummings, Jeff Van Buskirk are not here. Wagner is on zoom.

The Hitts and the Parsons are here. You may remember them from last time with the sewer issue.

Kirsten Schaefer is also here to discuss her food project.

They are doing investments and bills right now.

Schaefer is speaking now. She has worked on a community service project “Feed your Neighbor.” The project helps with food insecurity. She created the project because her friend has to pay for their own dinner from their birthday or Christmas money.

10 percent of the hs is food insecure. Restaurants around St. Joseph allow people to pay for a meal at Roch’s, Scratch, El Toro, and the Ribcage. Food insecure residents can go to restaurants and redeem a free meal.

I am going to get more info. This is an amazing project she has put together.

Fruhling-Voges said she thought it was a good project.

Hitt and Parsons time. Painter wants to wait until the next meeting because there are so many people gone.

Art kinda hinted that the insurance company refused the claim again but didn’t say it outright.


To recap, the lift station failed, the alerting system failed, the Parsons ended up with sewage in their basement. It cost more than $7,000 to clean up not even counting the build back and the family wants some form of payment from either the insurance or the village since it was the village’s lift station that failed.

Todd Hitt is asking for clarifications and saying he has rebuttals to what the insurance company has said. Joe the village administrator said he wants the rebuttals in writing.

Hitt says the village is negligent. He is disappointed people aren’t here to take the vote, ect.

Basically- they aren’t giving them an answer tonight.

Clark Dietz gave the village a pro/con list of locations for the splash pad. I am going to get a copy of it. They are being vague but whatever. Next meeting is when Water Odyssey is going to be here. Art wants to know how much water it is going to use. Question- would the public be willing to pay a 25 cent surcharge on their sewer bill so $3 a year to fund the water?

We raised more than $800 from the trunk or treat. THank you Wagners and IGA. The fire wives are donating 10 percent of their Christmas Pancake Breakfast to the splash pad and we are placing doorhangers out.

Max suggested a QR Code.


Go to Stjosephsplashpad.com I made this website to keep people updated and you can also donate to our go fundme from there.

Discussing pedestrian walk ways now.

Luke is talking about the changes they are making to keep the lift station failure from happening again.

Oh wait, Dan Davis isn’t here either. SO its Wagner, painter and Art. It’s only a quorum since Tami is here and can vote.

Mike saying previously the lift station had alarms and no one called. HOW is that possible. If someone hears a boom it’s on the St. Joseph page. How would no one call for a blaring alarm? I mean I believe it but lord.

They are discussing selling vehicles, buying new ones.

They are discussing light bars for vehicles.

Discussing staff coaching and governing body coaching services. It sounds like this is “hey, you can do this this and this as a trustee” but you shouldn’t do “this this or this.” Its probably to tell them that they are to decide policy not like nitty gritty stuff like where the signs for a business are going to be located.

Costume parade was very very well attended. About 30 kids attended. (My three were there!) It was a good event and beautiful day, the mayor said. (It was. So cute.)

On Veterans Day Shawn Hallett, the SJO resource officer, will be speaking at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Monument near the HS. and then the legion will host ham and beans and chilli after the presentation.

Discussing some tree situation. Painter hates that they didn’t buy local. They bought trees in Bloomington and Painter wanted them to buy local. #makessense

Mike saying he did get a quote and they were higher.

Meeting is over.

Banner
Related Posts

Brush pickup to be suspended for May

April 24, 2019

April 24, 2019

Brush pickup is being suspended within the village of St. Joseph. Buildings and Grounds Chairperson Roy McCarty said the village...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, April 26

April 26, 2022

April 26, 2022

I am here. With my 20 closest friends.We are moving the agenda all over to get people in and out....

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, June 14

June 14, 2022

June 14, 2022

Our live blogs are sponsored by MX Electric. I am the only one here besides the board, Mike Sennert and...

State moves towards bridge phase

March 23, 2021

March 23, 2021

By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With 64 percent of the state’s seniors having received at least one dose...

Live at VIllage Board July 26, 2022

July 26, 2022

July 26, 2022

Rachael Schott and fourth grader Lana Schott are here to discuss a downtown Christmas tree. Lana is presenting her idea...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, July 9, 2024

July 9, 2024

July 9, 2024

Here at village hall. They are discussing how village board wants the bills broken down more. They want to know...

Village asks residents to complete community survey

January 5, 2022

January 5, 2022

The Village of St. Joseph wants to know what its residents think. The village has created a community survey, which...

Improvements coming to rail trail

September 10, 2021

September 10, 2021

Improvements to the Kickapoo Rail Trail will be starting in September. With the assistance of the Illinois Department of Transportation...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, April 23, 2024

April 23, 2024

April 23, 2024

Presentation on a potential community building.Todd Hitt and Jim Page In 2018-19 Tami and Jim Page put together a group...

Village Board to continue discussing sewer rate increase

March 26, 2019

March 26, 2019

The St. Joseph Village Board is expected to continue discussing the timeline for the upcoming sewer rate increase roll out...

Talk of the Town….. with Gabe Clements

September 5, 2019

September 5, 2019

Every week we ask a village trustee, mayor, school board member or administrator three questions. This week we talked to...

Village to hold public hearing on marijuana dispensaries

July 26, 2019

July 26, 2019

The Village of St. Joseph will hold a public hearing to discuss allowing marijuana dispensaries in town. The hearing will...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board

May 25, 2021

May 25, 2021

Jim Wagner is running IT tonight. The new lawyer is here. Marc Miller. #somanychanges Bill time. Apparently Spring Green took...

Live Blog, St. Joseph Village Board May 11, 2021

May 11, 2021

May 11, 2021

We are here at village board. Van Buskirk is absent as is Davis. Rapp, Cummings, Painter and Wagner are here...

Live at Ogden Village Board

May 5, 2022

May 5, 2022

I am here so you don’t have to be. The village just voted to purchase lime for the baseball diamonds....

Comments
Leave a Reply