When you think of May you think of Graduations, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day…and Summer Camp Music Festival. The organizers reported this year’s Summer Camp Music Festival will not take place at Three Sisters Park. Instead the event will present a three day series of music shows on the Peoria Riverfront. Our Memorial Day weekend may just be a little quieter around town.

SEWER LINE BLOCKAGE – Should you experience a sewer line backup, you are required to contact the City of Chillicothe, Public Works Department (309) 274-2020 first to perform an inspection of the incoming or exiting sewer line prior to permitting any third-party to inspect, investigate, video, clear, or perform and work on the affected sewer. For more information, you may contact the Superintendent of Public Work, Shawn Sutherland at [email protected] or by phone at (309) 303-5889. The Ordinance Number 25-04-04 addressing this issue may be found on the website under the government tab.

OPEN BURNING of landscape waste began on April 1 and runs through May 31. It will reopen in the fall. Open burning is only allowed between 10am and sunset on Monday through Saturday. Burning is not allowed on Sundays, holidays, or parade days. Yard Waste Drop Off is open and will remain open until November. Natural, biodegradable waste from yards and gardens can be dropped off at Moffitt Park on Wednesday between 10am–12pm and 4pm–6pm or on Saturday between 8am and 1pm.

The SPRING DISPOSAL VOUCHER PROGRAM will not be offered as Peoria County is offering a FREE weekly load program to citizens during the closure of the landfill in Peoria County. Peoria County Residents, which includes all citizens within the corporate boundaries of the City of Chillicothe, will be allowed to take a FREE Weekly Load of all items that were allowed on the voucher program to the GFL site in Chillicothe starting April 21, Monday – Friday, 7am–3pm. You will be required to provide identification that you are a Peoria County resident.

At the April 14th City Council meeting the Council welcomed the Graduation class of 2026 Civic Class and approved:

• Appointment Courtney Gehrig to fill the unexpired term of the Second Ward Alderperson
• An expenditure of $10,613.50 payable to Fehr Graham for the Engineering Cloverdale Project
• Tri-County Regional Planning Annual Joint Funding Agreement annual fee of $3,409.76
• Ordinance Establishing Sewer Line Blockage Investigation Process
• Notice of Special Event – Easter Egg Hunt on April 19 from 8am–noon for the Easter Egg Round Up
• Notice of Special Event – Looking 4 Treasures on April 19th from 10–3pm for food truck
• Notice of Special Event – Tri 2 Beat MS on June 6 & 7 from 8am–11am for the Tri 2 Beat MS Kids Triathlon
• Notice of Special Event – Party in the Park on June 7 from 4pm–-11pm at City Park
• Live Entertainment Request – American Legion on April 18 from 7pm–10pm LIVE MUSIC – Chilli Dogz
• Ordinance authorizing disposal of Surplus Property/Police Vehicles owned by the City of Chillicothe (2015 Impala, 2011 Nissan, and 2011 Audi)
• An expenditure of $2,820 payable to Municipal Electronics Division for the purchase of two Stalker Dual In-Car Radars
• A two-year agreement with Motorola Cloud Storage for cloud video storage and hardware at a cost of $18,080.02
• An expenditure of $2,914.60 for the Purchase of Ammunition for the Police Department
• Closed Session Minutes 11/11/24, 01/13/25, and 03/10/25, 3/3/35, 3/4/35, 3/10/25 & 3/20/25
• The March 20, 2025 tentative agreement reached with the Fraternal Order of Police for a new Labor Contract 

Discussion:

• The council discussed the position for a Code Enforcement Officer

Refer:

• City Attorney to Draft an Ordinance Amendment Animal Control amending Chapter 14 Animals, of the City code to include Trap/Neuter/Vaccinate/Return (TNVR) of feral cats.

Closed Session:

• Personnel – ILCS 120/2 (c) (2) – Collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or their representatives, or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees. No action was taken.

The council meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 7pm at City Hall. The Public is welcome to attend. The next scheduled City Council meeting will be held on May 12th.

With the warmer weather approaching there are many events coming up, so check out the below events and get involved.

May

01 Senior Bingo – Pearce Community Center, 11am–12pm

01 Historic Program – Hardware Stores of Chillicothe & Rome -  Chillicothe Historical Society, 6:30pm

02 Vino & Vinyasa – Pearce Community Center, 6pm–7:30pm

03 Golf Cart/ATV Poker Run – 4th of July Fireworks fundraiser – Sign up 10am at Casting Club – $10 per person

03 Open House – Top of the Hill Farm, 1pm

03 Sunset Drum Circle at Soulpatch – Three Sister’s Park, 6:30pm

03 Blessing of the Bikes – MoonTower, 7pm

04 Pancake and Sausage Breakfast – George Washington Masonic Lodge, 7am–11am

08 Bounce Into Summer Carnival – South School, 5pm–7pm

10 Chillicothe 2nd Saturday – Retail Businesses on 2nd, 4th and Santa Fe, 10am

10 Beef & Bourbon Night – Pearce Community Center, 6pm

11 MOTHER’S DAY

11 AMVET’s Mother’s Day Breakfast at the VFW

11 LIVE MUSIC – Eddie’s Broken Halo – American Legion, 2pm–6pm

15 Senior Health & Wellness Fair – Pearce Community Center, 10am–12pm

15 Back the Blue Chillicothe Police Appreciation Dinner – Grecian Gardens, 6pm, RSVP 309-253-1010

17 District 321 Graduations – at IVC High School – 1:30pm CEC, 3pm Moss, 5pm IVC

17 Chillicothe Optimist Club Annual Garage Sale – Peoria Casting Club, 8am

18 LIVE MUSIC – Blue Stew – American Legion, 11am

18 LIVE MUSIC – Fusion Mellow, MoonTower Bar & Grill, 2pm

19 Outdoor Fitness Day – Pearce Community Center, 9am–11am and 5:30–7:30pm

25 Outdoor Worship Service – Chillicothe Christian Church, 10am

26 MEMORIAL DAY

26 Memorial Day Ceremony, Veteran’s Triangle (Santa Fe & Chestnut), 11am

There is a lot happening in Chillicothe! Come on out and join us!

Your hometown,
The City of Chillicothe,
Where the Rails Cross the River