Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Oct. 20, 2026

I am here.
I thought there would be more people here after the social media conversations.

But, on the agenda is leasing the water treatment plant and selling the system to Illinois American Water. That means they would buy the life stations, lines, mains, ect. and lease and run the treatment plant.

Some upcoming reminders.

Halloween is kicking off this Saturday in St. Joseph with the Village Halloween Parade. 10 a.m. Downtown. Meet at Village Hall. The mayor takes kids trick or treating at businesses.

Then it’s Halloween movies at the Legion Building. $5 a ticket. Sponsored by Iota Sigma.

Here’s our Halloween event list.


Public Comment:
Gordon Gilly is commenting. He’s talking about Kiwanis. They have 20 members. “We have a lot of ideas,” he said.
“I am here today just to report on some ideas we have about Kolb Park.”

1. Power wash and repaint the pavilion.
2. Have high school students paint a mural with village approval. These two items would cost about $400.
3. Replace the boards on the picnic tables. Doing all the tables would cost $101 to use treated lumber. Composite would be $202. 8 tables would cost $968 for treated lumber.
4. Basketball Court replace the nets and repaint the lines.

This wouldn’t occur until the Spring. We would want to do fundraiser but also asking if the village wanted to donate the paint, ect. and the club do the labor.

Also, discussed a few new benches, bike repair kit near the trail, Flag on the flag pole with a light. Eventually a new playground item.

“Just letting you know the Kiwanis Club exists and we want to help when we can,” Gilly said.


Consent Agenda:
Art is asking why the power and water bills are so high. Joe is telling him that they aren’t what he would consider high. They are close to what they have been.

Waste Water Treatment ordinance:
The Mayor has a presentation. The system was built in the early 70s. The system is the collection system and the treatment plant. Growth in the 90s pushed the old plant to its limit. The village employs a sewer plant operator and a clerk to do the billing.

The village has kept the sewer rates artificially low by subsidizing the general fund and taking rate holidays. (During COVID the previous board put the rate increases on hiatus.)

Funds were not set aside at a sufficient rate or amount to replace any significant piece of the entire system.

In 2009 they did some improvements for 1.9 million. During the last administration they expanded the waste water treatment plant., new main lines in that area and the work on Elm. The loan for that was 19 million. The user fees would have to be set at a level to run the operation and set money aside for capital replacement. The payment on the loan will be 1.1 million per year.

The advisor they hired said sewer rates would have to increase to meet ongoing cost and set aside capital improvements in the future.

“The rates are going to go up,” Page said. “The village is going to raise them or American Illinois Water is going to raise them.”

The agreement with ILAW includes the sale of the system for $4.9 million.

The village will retain the the ownership of the treatment plant but ILAW and ILAW will give the village money to make the payments and make 7.3 million in capital improvements.

They will use the 4.9 million to pay off all debt they have.

Jan. 1, 2027 they will have new sewer rates. They have a pending rate case now. The central district of ILAW all pays the same rate.

When the advisor looked at what the village has been doing, the advisor believed the village would have to charge more than what ILAW is proposing so the village could make their debt payments and put money aside to pay for capital improvements for the sewer.

Page is discussing how much actually is paid to run the sewer plant and what the money goes to.

“My position is I don’t want a mayor in 2025 saying why don’t we have anything saved,” Page said. “Making the village financially health is good for the residents.”

“We aren’t well equipped to run an ultility,” Page said. “Instead of focusing money from on the sewer I would like to focus on storm water management.”

Ron Ragle is here. He was Fisher’s Waste Water Superintedent during the time they opted to sell to American Illinois Water. Discussing how high Fisher’s rates would have had to go to make the sewer fund solvent. He said that they would have had higher rates than ILAW for various years. Fisher decided to sell the ILAW and now he works for ILAW.

“Do I want to raise rates?” Page said. “No. Do I want to sell it to people who will raise rates? No.”

Page saying it basically has to be done because the rates are artificially low.

Steve Littlefield urging the board to talk to residents in Tolono. They were told one thing and now their bill is 70 percent higher than what they were told, Littlfield said.

Andrea Childers saying if they had growth they could meet the needs and everyone wouldn’t pay huge increases, however there is no growth.

Terri Cummings saying she can’t speak to Tolono because she didn’t research them.

“We need growth or we will have to pay more taxes,” Terri said. “It won’t be just our water bills. It will be our taxes.”

Art Rapp is talking now and saying he has concerns with the agreement. “I think it needs more clarity. I am not against the sale. I hate to see us relinquish an asset but I think they will do a better job running it but over all I have concerns.”

You can read the agreement here.

I can understand Art’s concerns.