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Village Form of Government O’Fallon operated under the village form of government from 1874 to 1905. In those “pioneer” days, we were governed by a President and Board of Trustees. Under the 2nd general ordinance revision of 1893 (the first was in 1888), the elected officers of the village were the President, Clerk, 6 Trustees, and Police Magistrate. The President (similar to a mayor) and Clerk served 1-year terms, the Trustees served 2-year terms with half the Board being elected each year, and the Police Magistrate (similar to a municipal court judge) served a 4-year term. Appointed by the President on an annual basis with the approval of the Trustees were the Treasurer, Constable (village marshal, village lamplighter, and village hall janitor rolled into one), street inspector (in charge of public works), Attorney, and Fire Warden (building inspector). There was also a Board of Health which consisted of the President and 3 Trustees and generally supervised quarantines and adopted and enforced rules to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. To be eligible for election or appointment, a prospective officer must have been a resident of the village for 1 year, couldn’t owe the village any money, and must not have been “convicted of malfeasance, bribery or other corrupt practices and crimes.”
And about the pay? The President received $1.50 for each meeting he attended, while the Trustees received $1.00 each. The Clerk was paid $75 per year plus 25 cents from each license and dog registration. The Constable received $50 per month plus other fees. The Fire Warden was paid $10 per year, and the Street Inspector $1.50 each day he was on the job. The Treasurer—present day city treasurers take note!—received 1% of all money actually paid out by the village.
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