July 18, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Talk of the town… Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges

Every week we will ask a village mayor, trustee or school administrator three questions. This week it is St. Joseph Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges.

What was the Village’s biggest accomplishment within the last 12 months?
1.  I would say that the biggest accomplishment in 2018 for the village was getting the Kolb Park project finished.  The village has talked about doing upgrades to that park for a couple of years and we finally were able to get them done.  In 2019 we will complete some of the finishing touches and we will have a beautiful facility to be proud of.  This is St. Joseph’s oldest park in the village and we should be excited to show it off to those in our community and those visitors that come to town on the KRT.  The park will make a great trail head for the bike trail.

What do you have planned for 2019?
My list for 2019 is pretty ambitious and I don’t know how far we will get with most of the items, but it doesn’t hurt to aim high.  Making sure that the village trustees share the same goals as I have will also determine how successful we will be in getting some of these things accomplished.  Budgeting constraints are also a major factor!  The sewer plant is in need of some modernizing, repairs and expansion for the future.  The village has not had any kind of a rate increase for 12 years, so the village has had a sewer rate study done and will be putting together a plan to move forward with what we need for our future needs.  We also will be working out some kind of a plan for financing, so that the village can set a time line for storm water improvements for our existing neighborhoods and to allow growth in the village.  Some of the things that would be nice additions to the village would be some condos or townhouses, assisted living facility for our seniors and we always are looking to encourage more economic growth.  For our downtown businesses to be successful we need to get creative to help make more parking available.  We also have plenty of potential in our commercial area north of the village near the interstate that I would love to see some new growth activity there and do what we can to help those businesses succeed also.  The village board also has a few unfinished items leftover from 2017 and 2018 that will take some effort and cooperation to complete.  My plan is to work hard with my board to see them completed because I feel strongly that they are important for the future of St. Joseph.  

What would you like people to know about St. Joseph?
One of the most important things that I think should be known about the village of St. Joseph is that the people in this community are absolutely the best!!  There are so many great stories to be told about the people that live in this community.  We are fortunate to live in such a welcoming and supportive community.  Being given the opportunity to serve as mayor along with so many wonderful people in this village makes me very proud.  

Banner
Related Posts

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, July 13

July 13, 2021

July 13, 2021

SO not only am I late to village board because #dancemom I am also outside typing this on the hood...

Village accepting bids for Boy Scout building

August 5, 2022

August 5, 2022

A piece of St. Joseph history will be sold. The village board is moving forward with selling the “Boy Scout...

Ogden mayor resigns effective Nov. 1

October 26, 2023

October 26, 2023

Gabe Clements has resigned as the mayor of Ogden effective Nov. 1. ,In his resignation letter to the Village Board,...

Village hires administrator

June 24, 2021

June 24, 2021

The Village of St. Joseph has its administrator.During its June 22 meeting the village board voted to hire Joseph Hackney....

5 Questions with Republican caucus candidate Matt Wolfersberger

December 2, 2024

December 2, 2024

1. What made you want to run? My original plan was to step aside at the end of my term,...

Philo Exchange Bank looks to expand in St. Joseph

February 23, 2022

February 23, 2022

Philo Exchange Bank wants to be an active part of St. Joseph. The bank has entered into a purchase agreement...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board

October 8, 2019

October 8, 2019

The past few meetings have been packed… not this one. Only two audience members. They approved the minutes, are going...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board , Nov. 22, 2022

November 22, 2022

November 22, 2022

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, Eve. Apparently, they buried a time capsule today but no one told me so…. There was no...

Remembering B.J. Hackler: ‘He made people smile’

September 10, 2021

September 10, 2021

B.J. Hackler liked to stay busy. He belonged to the St. Joseph Tea-Totalers, a group of residents who meet in...

Is a new village hall in St. Joseph’s future?

March 29, 2022

March 29, 2022

The Village of St. Joseph is discussing selling three properties downtown. And it could come with a new use for...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board March 23, 2021

March 23, 2021

March 23, 2021

We are here. This could be a pretty amazing meeting. LIQUOR LICENSE TIME. We are moving the agenda around so...

Study looks at economic impact of hotel in village

April 1, 2024

April 1, 2024

A hotel feasibility study has found that a hotel is sustainable in the Village of St. Joseph.  The study, conducted...

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...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board

May 26, 2020

May 26, 2020

They are discussing a variance for a property. I am in two zoom meetings currently. SJO School Board and St....

Fruhling-Voges lays out Phase 3 plans for St. Joseph

May 29, 2020

May 29, 2020

St. Joseph Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges wants St. Joseph residents to be patient with one another as the State of Illinois...

Comments
Leave a Reply