St. Joseph village board meeting agenda updated

Three additional items were added to tonight's St. Joseph village board meeting for discussion and possible approval by trustees.

In addition to discussing the new village administrator position and taking care of routine budget duties, the board will also listen to a presentation from Roch's on outdoor dining and discuss moving lighting to accommodate potential out dining space.

The board will also discuss and approve the final draft of a new, long-awaited food truck ordinance.

The third addition to the agenda is a discussion on the county's upcoming redistricting options. An informational webpage at http://www.co.champaign.il.us/countyexecutive/redistrictingadvisory.php offers five possible plans under consideration. The mapping application compares redistricting proposals created by or submitted to the Champaign County Redistricting Advisory Group.

Village Crier: January 11, 2021

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Number of COVID cases on the rise

The number of confirmed cases of the Coronavirus is taking a steep climb this week with 65 new cases identified in the past four days. The rise comes during the projected incubation period predicted by epidemiologists and just a week before Region 6 could possibly bounce back to Tier 2 mitigation and less stringent restrictions.

There are now 97 active cases within the six villages, a level that hasn't been seen since December 1 and the highest level this calendar year. Just six days earlier, The Sentinel area enjoyed its lowest number of positive cases for nearly a five week period.

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SJO grad joins real estate firm

Zac White, a graduate from St. Joseph-Ogden High School, has joined The Littlefield Group. Over the past 22 years, The Littlefield Homes has assisted thousands of families buy and sell homes as well as investors interested in commercial property and farm land. White, a Champaign County native received his Bachelors Degree at Western Illinois University. White, a licensed agent and broker, he can be reached at (217) 841-9296 or by email at Zac@littlefieldhomes.com.

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Lots on for tomorrow's board meeting

In addition to approving invoices for payment and changes to how St. Joseph invests village funds, The St. Joseph Village Board will vote on resolution to approve the Champaign County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (CCHMP).

The plan calls for identifying and prioritizing community policies, "actions and tools to implement in order to reduce potential risk and potential for future losses associated with the occurrence of selected natural and technical hazards. The goal is to use the plan to prepare for natural and technical hazards. A draft copy of the plan is available online.

The CCHMP meets the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, which includes planning objectives established by FEMA, inter-agency coordination as well as coordination of local mitigation planning with the state. Susan Monte, planner from Champaign County Regional Planning Commission will discuss the updated version of the plan.

The board will also take a vote on a Moter Fuel Ordinance and a resolution to wave subdivision regulations in a matter between Rudisill Trust and Arcadia Farms.

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Village Crier: January 2, 2021

Agenda set for next Sidney village board meeting

The Sidney Village board is set to meet Monday, January 4, at pm.

Village President Jason Arrasmith plans to discuss the purchase of an enclosed bulletin board for the new community building as well as the possibility of building infrastructure to support electrical power for Christmas lights in the future. He will also lead a discussion on the new lights at Witt Park.

Trustees will also discuss future compensation for their work on the village board.

Over a thousand COVID-19 cases in 2020

The Sentinel are closed out the year with a reported total of 1,060 cases in 2020. There were 426 confirmed cases identified in St. Joseph, 324 in Tolono and 105 cases within the Philo zip code of 61864 according to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. Meanwhile, 96 residents in Sidney, along with 73 from the Village of Ogden and 36 from Royal have been confirmed by tests since March.

Between New Year's Eve on Thursday and today, the CUPHD reports that there were 27 new cases scattered across the six villages. After a rampant spread in late November, the area saw 100 or fewer cases during the month of December.

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