“The Village of Pawnee is where you get your gas and water services,” Brent said.
There is an online opportunity to pay bills through the website https://www.pawneeil.net.  By setting up an account, you can view your bill and pay without using a stamp! The 3rd party that processes online payments charges a fee, but the Utility Office offers Direct Debit (ACH), which is free of charge.

On the website, you can also find customer notifications pertaining to utilities. If you have issues with your utilities, call 217-625-2941.  In the event of a gas or water leak someone is always available even after hours, there is an answering service that can be reached.  The Village office is open from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
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Besides the utilities available in the community, there are a lot of other services provided by the village as well.  “We have a burn pile,” Kelly said, and Brent mentioned that this is an amenity that many small communities don’t offer. 

The Village Burn Pile located on the north side of town, is open daily from 7:30 a.m. until dusk and is available to all Pawnee residents.  At the burn pile, they accept grass clippings and weeds in paper bags, small shrubs, and tree limbs if wood over two inches in diameter is cut in lengths of two-foot logs.  For residents that want to burn yard waste, this is allowed on even days of the week.

Another special item offered in the Village is the Bulk Water tank where residents can purchase needed non-potable water.  This tank is located next to the burn pile and Village warehouse by North Park.

Online a map of the Village is available for downloading!
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Holiday lights are provided by the Village as well.
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The Village has a lighted sign as you enter town from Highway 104’s west side.  Groups and businesses alike are able to take advantage of the sign to announce their events. “Churches seem to take advantage of this the most, but we’d like to encourage other to use it as well.,” Kelly said.

Special announcements like birthdays are kept only for special ones like turning 80!

The Village website is also an opportunity for businesses and non-profit groups to share their news and events.  Town residents can stay abreast of what is happening by tuning into the news section of the website.
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The Village office also has information is available like helpful numbers that include Pawnee services, electric companies, cable companies and sanitation companies. Other numbers for services like Housing Assistance, Energy Assistance, Job Assistance and Food Assistance is also available like the Pawnee Food Pantry, which is operated by charities. The Food Pantry is open the first Monday of the month from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. It is located off the square in the former Pawnee library.
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Some of the opportunities offered through the Village is through the facilities they have on hand. The pavilion on the square and surrounding area are donated by the Village for non-profit events like the Pawnee Prairie Days and the Lion’s Club fair.  The area can be reserved  free of charge for use as well.  The same is true of the North Park Pavilion.  “It is available to anyone,” Kelly said, “but it can be reserved for events.”
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To reserve space, call the Village at 217-625-2941.
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Like most municipalities, you must have a permit if you are adding to your property.  This includes in ground and above ground pools, fences, building additions, sheds and more.  Plan on ten business days to get your permit approved. The reason for permits Brent shared is to be sure that no utilities are blocked or in the way before building. Don’t start a project that may have to be stopped without a permit.  “That can be very expensive,” Kelly said.

Those doing business in the Village of Pawnee must obtain a permit before going door to door. The exception to this is those offering religious, educational, or political information.  For those Village citizens that don’t want any solicitors, Kim said, “We have ‘no solicitor’ signs if people want them.  They can put them in their windows so people can see them when they come to the door.”

Kelly added that when businesspeople obtain their solicitor permits that they are told that they may not stop at homes with these signs in the window.
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Village business is discussed in a public forum the 2nd and 4th Monday evenings of the month.  Meetings are held in a room off the Village office and meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. In December Kelly commented that there is usually only one meeting.

The Village of Pawnee is open and available and ready to assist those in the community and that have questions about this wonderful small town located in the State of Illinois south Sangamon County.