March 27, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Live from St. Joseph Village Board

We are here at the first meeting of the month for the St. Joseph Village Board.
Julie is doing the minutes because

Investments. All three local banks submitted bids.

Zoning is recommending a zoning setback variance to 701 Bluestem Dr from 20 percent to 17 percent.

There’s a detention pond issue on the commons area behind Linden. Drainage isn’t working. Sounds like there’s a mess behind a residents house on Linden. The water isn’t draining so they can’t even do anything to fix it because the ground is so soggy. People are dumping tvs, brush and trash in there. #STOP It is not a dump! They are going to keep working on the issue.

Motor Fuel for oil and chip supplemental resolution. Art is discussing how no one has seen this bill before. Julie and Tami explaining that they are on a time crunch and need to do it. Julie said it all has to be done tonight, sent to the engineering firm tonight and then sent to IDOT where they will determine if they will give them the money or not. Good news- they plan to oil and chip the roads!

They are discussing the fireworks. It will cost $7,500.
Art again bringing up that the bills/expenditures shouldn’t be presented at the meeting they are voting on them. His point is that trustees should have the chance to study the bids but if it is on the agenda that fulfills the open meetings act and they can vote on it. Art saying the date on the bid is the Feb. 21. Julie saying that she didn’t get the bid then.

Wagner made the motion to pay for it. Roy made the motion to second it. They aren’t voting on it and are instead voting on Arts motion to table it.

Wagner, Davis, McCarty voting no to table it.
Raap, Painter voting to table it.

Motion failed.

Wagner, Davis, McCarty, Painter, voting to pay for it.
Art voted no.

Matt Silver is on the planning and zoning now.

They are discussing bike to workday. See this link for more information. Bike to work day is awesome but trustees are asking for additional police presence, ect.

Mayor Tami Fruhling Voges talking about the census. Don’t be a loser. Fill it out. It helps the village get federal funding.

Art is motioning to table a roofing bid. The bid is on the agenda. Roy is explaining that if they don’t approve it will cost more money. Art saying it won’t but Roy saying that it will if they don’t have the bids in at the time it will.

Tami is asking why he wants to table it. It’s the same as before. Basically he wants everything way in advance.

Art motioned to table. Painter voted to second.
They voted to table it.

Tami saying they need to be clear on the information they want because she doesn’t want to delay things because people are upset they didn’t get a piece of paper in the box.

“It is not just a piece of paper,” Art said.

Actually, it is just a piece of paper. Honestly. They get the agenda much further in advance than most boards. If they have questions they can ask them and get the information. It’s not like its being sprung on them or a secret.

Roy is not happy about stuff being tabled. Roy is making a motion to untable. He is pretty unhappy and honestly, rightfully so. It’s on the agenda so… vote on it.


Now Wagner wants a committee meeting. And now they want to invite the contractors to a meeting. This is getting so convoluted for some roofing.

Tami is saying “get it figured out before the next meeting.”

Roy removed the motion.

Tami is telling them to basically get their questions together and be adults.

“It doesn’t need to be that complicated and there are only so many things to talk about with roofing so whatever little questions you have to get it to Mike.”

Roy saying they have had more committee meetings in the last year than they have in the 9 years he has been in the board. #truestory




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