January 23, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Live at St. Joseph Village Board

It’s a full house with seven audience members.

Public comment time: Basically, don’t ramble about nonsense, you gotta provide your name and address and gotta be polite.

Audit time. shocker said no one- they got the letter saying there aren’t enough staff, ect. #DONTWORRYITMEANSNOTHING #EVERYONEGETSIT

It was a very good clean audit.

Art and Dan Davis have motioned to table the audit so they can “absorb it.”

Public comment time: thanking john and maintance crew.

Allan Wall is here from Jefferey Drive. “The last several years I have loosely tried to submit a bid for taking care of the parks for fertilizer and weed control.” Wall owns Professional Outdoor Solutions.

The mayor is starting something new tonight. “I want this to be resident initiated,” Fruhling-Voges said. Tami had a friend from out of town and one of the employees went out of his way to help this couple. “He went above and beyond,” Fruhling-Voges said. “He stopped, turned around, came back because he saw two people my age scraping up gravel in the street. They were so very impressed with him.” Employee appreciation award: Hayden Cargo.

If you have an employee that does something that is above and beyond or you are impressed with something please contact us. The village will make up a little form.

Halloween- the concensus was on the official central illinois mayor texting chain that everyone was moving forward with trick-or-treating. #washyourhands It will be 6-8 p.m. The parade is taking place. They won’t be going in any of the businesses because they will have their treats outside on a table. Hopefully the weather will be better this year. #itwascoldbutfun

85.1 percent of St. Joseph residents have filled out their census. Lets make it 100 percent.

Max Painter- the lights got left on at the park all night. I don’t know how often that happens but maybe we need to look into a time clock shut off.

discussing partial tree removal. At committee meeting they discussed paying $2600 to this tree trimming company that didn’t fully take the tree down but came out, took a branch down and stablized the tree that was split down the middle, ect. It was the tree that basically split in two on Lincoln a few months ago.

Company owner is here. Said the village employee called in a panic and said no one else is answering their phones, ect. Saying he put his life at risk in order to help the village out. Had 22 man hours there divided by six guys. He is a tree climber and doesn’t use a crane or a lift.

Basically, it’s a payment dispute. The business owner billed more than the village is willing to pay. I think he said it’s like $4,800 and this was “48 days ago.” He broke down why he billed them what he did though.

The business owner is going into the village budget and how they can transfer money from one line item to another to find the money to pay him.

Tami stopped him and said “We know how to do our budget.”

Tami said “Did you complete the job?”

Business owner explaining he took care of the problem branch that was the most threat to anyone and anything.

Tami saying the other tree guy was there 40 minutes and got it done.

Originally they were told it was $250 per hour.



Unrelated, some people here aren’t wearing masks. If I get COVID I am going to be super, super pissed off.


Anyway, the mayor saying she would have offered $1,300 not the $2,600.

Max pointing out that he can’t imagine what it would cost to have this company take down the whole tree?

Board members pushing on if the “straps” were new. I think they are talking about straps used to stablize the tree? Max is incredulous about the pricing.”I own a business. I can’t just make up prices willienillie.”

I guess the business owner said he was taking $1,000 off when he originally met with the village but now he isn’t. I think its because he wasn’t paid in a timely manner.

Business owner said Luke Fisher is lying. #ohhellno Luke saying he isn’t disputing that he strapped the tree. He’s disputing that he didn’t get the job done. Luke saying some of the workers were not working and were chatting with spectators.


Okay I guess I did go into great detail. I have never ever seen someone pull out the village budget and tell them what they could move. That was amazing. Like my mask covered mouth dropped open.

Discussing sending the $2,600 and saying if he wants the rest he would have to take them to court.

Mason Wagner is here taking in the civics lesson. #startthemyoung

Joe saying HELL NO to mailing the check. “if you send him the check and say take us to court you have lost all your leverage on it.” “If you are going to end up in court why would you pay anything up front?”

I love Joe. LOL

So it looks like they are going to mail him an agreement offering the $2,600 and we will go from there.

OMG YOU GUYS THE FISHER EASEMENT AGREEMENT HAS BEEN SIGNED. WOW. This is a long time coming.

Abbeyfield is still working with the daycare people. Cause issues keep popping up regarding mold and drainage. #shocker

Fruhling-Voges thanking Joe for all his hard worker on this issue.

Luke saying they need to set a deadline for outdoor seating to get picked up. Luke saying Nov. 15. It’s due to snow issues. #gottaplow Tami is going to talk to the business owners.

MIke Peters – village workers are going to be in the Birkey’s 2021 calendar. OMG #FAMOUS

Village administrator will be next meeting. The ordinance wasn’t done.

Rangers: The village isn’t licensing them because if they are street legal they are allowed by state statute. Golf carts aren’t allowed through state statute throughout the state so that is why they register them. According to the deputy there if the UTV owner goes to the secretary of states office and makes the razor street legal they can drive it on the roads.








Banner
Related Posts

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Aug. 22, 2023

August 22, 2023

August 22, 2023

Ken Cooley resigned from planning and zoning and the mayor is appointing Steve Peters for that term. That term runs...

Cooper looks to make a difference in Ogden

April 5, 2021

April 5, 2021

Kelly Cooper wants to make a difference in Ogden.  That is why she ran for village board in 2017 and...

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...

White Christmas on tap for area

December 23, 2022

December 23, 2022

This Christmas could be special weather-wise. Steve Hilberg, the Retired, Director of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, said this won’t...

Hometown appeal: The Wheelhouse earns Business of the Year honors

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

When the Wheelhouse opened in 2017, it was unlike anything in St. Joseph. And still is. The farm-to-table restaurant owned...

New type of liquor license up for vote at St. Joseph Village Board

January 13, 2020

January 13, 2020

On Tuesday night, the St. Joseph Village Board will discuss and vote on whether to create a new liquor license....

‘Wanting to serve this community has been my passion’

December 7, 2020

December 7, 2020

Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges cares about St. Joseph. It is why she is running for reelection tonight at the Republican Caucus....

Live Blog for April 27, 2021

April 27, 2021

April 27, 2021

I am here at St. Joseph Village Board.No one else is here besides IT Guru Mike Sennert.May 5 is bike...

Kelso add commercial space for rent

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

Josh Kelso wants to help expand commercial space in St. Joseph. The owner of Kelso Heating and Cooling knows how...

Sewer rates set to increase

April 23, 2019

April 23, 2019

Soon St. Joseph residents will receive a postcard in their mailbox. The postcard will explain the upcoming sewer rate increase....

Village reminds residents not to dump at burn site

June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020

St. Joseph Public Works is reminding residents that it is illegal to dump brush or garbage outside of the St....

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, March 28, 2023

March 28, 2023

March 28, 2023

I am here so you don’t have to be. Here are the big items on the agenda. They are going...

Village expected to accept bid for Boy Scout Building

September 13, 2022

September 13, 2022

The village is expected to accept a bid for the former Boy Scout Building tonight. Roche and Heather Cain submitted...

‘It’s probably the biggest event, the biggest natural disaster we have had’

June 30, 2023

June 30, 2023

Assistant Public Works Director Luke Fisher has never seen anything like it. “It’s probably the biggest event, the biggest natural...

Live Blog April 13, 2021

April 13, 2021

April 13, 2021

They are supposed to discuss food trucks. #MAKEITHAPPEN And give an update on the village administrator. Doing investments. Doing bills....

Comments
Leave a Reply