Rockford mayor says she won't seek reelection

ROCKFORD - Mayor Amy Joseph announced Tuesday she will not seek reelection in the Nov. 7 general election.

Joseph at the regular village council meeting recalled telling her family she would step down as mayor "when somebody decent came along to take it over."

She feels confident council president Ron Searight "could possibly handle that." As of now, Searight is the only candidate running for mayor, according to Jospeh.

"I love the village of Rockford … but as my family and my kids would say, I always put the village before my family all these years. My family is now growing and that's my No. 1 priority. I love everybody. I grew up in this chair, literally, so it's hard," she said.

Joseph was first appointed mayor in 2008. Prior to that, she served on village council.

She said she is looking forward to spending time with her family and focusing on her business.

In other news, councilors approved a motion for a temporary allowance for the police department's special duty pay.

Councilor Marcas Heitkamp said he didn't have time to present the amendment to the relevant committee but wanted to introduce the change to make sure the police department is compensated for working special events.

If police officers were to work a festival or other third-party event, they would be compensated $35 an hour.

The village will charge such events $46 an hour for police presence, with $11 of the hourly rate to go toward fuel expenses, Heitkamp said.

The amendment needs to be certified by the mayor and the police chief.

Councilors also welcomed Jason Rollins as owner of Rockford Cabinet Company and heard the water tower projects are underway.

The next village council meeting is 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15 at the village hall.