Of the 261 St. Joseph residents who took a recent survey provided by the Village, the majority voiced satisfaction with services their tax dollars provide.
Billed as a way to “evaluate how the Village is performing, with a focus on areas that community members would like to see improvement”, the survey looked at everything from satisfaction of Village services to what community members would like to see in the town.
The final results showed that 197 people were very satisfied or satisfied with the quality of yard waste collection and 193 people were very satisfied or satisfied with the quality of parks and recreation facilities. Fewer, 119 people were very satisfied or satisfied with efforts to enforce codes and ordinances and 109 people were very satisfied or satisfied with the quality of Village infrastructure.
Sidewalks, roads and sewer, though, were what the majority of people (157) thought the Village should prioritize.
Overall, constituents believed that St. Joseph is a well-kept Village, with 216 people believing the street and public areas are clean; 203 people reviewing that they were satisfied with landscaping in parks and public areas; 186 people giving the nod to the maintenance of village buildings and facilities and 213 people believing that the downtown area is maintained.
The majority of the people who took the survey, 152, are very satisfied or satisfied with police services in St. Joseph. The number grew when talking about the St. Joseph Stanton Fire Department; 226 people are satisfied or very satisfied with fire and EMS services.
Constituents believe that St. Joseph is a great place to raise children, 225 participants being satisfied or very satisfied there. And while the majority, 141 participants also believe St. Joseph is a great place to retire, 94 people felt neutral about that statement.
Residents of St. Joseph seem to want to be informed. The Village asked if people would want to receive a newsletter or find Village board meetings online. The majority of respondents said they would appreciate those options.
Efforts are underway to fundraise for a splash pad in the community. Should those efforts provide the funds, most people (108) would want to see it located at the Community Sports Complex-Woodard Family Park.
St. Joseph residents would like to see some additional businesses near the Village, including a hardware store, a Dollar General, additional restaurants, food truck or specialty stores. Some residents also mentioned that they’d like to see options for recycling, compost, a community building, and a dog park.
Assets to the community, though, include the schools, proximity to Champaign-Urbana, and community members that get involved.
The Village plans to use the community feedback to help guide staff and the Board of Trustees in upcoming decisions.
