Greetings.  I wish to welcome you to the City of Centralia’s web site.  There are great things happening in Centralia and our area has much to offer.  On this site you will be able to see some of Centralia’s many assets, as well as access City services and information. 

From our site’s home page, one can view headlines of recent happenings in Centralia as well as choose from a list of city department and services.  Of special note are the areas of Economic Development, where we have a comprehensive look at what the City is doing for economy improvement, and Community Development, where you can see what Centralia is doing to improve the quality of life for its residents.  As you’ll see, the City provides a great deal of services to the community.  We are also fortunate to have numerous other groups, organizations, and businesses who all work daily to make Centralia a great place to live.       

Centralia City Schools, Centralia High School and Kaskaskia College afford each student the opportunity to acquire a well-rounded education.  We also offer the Arts to all ages through the Centralia Cultural Society.  Children and adults can benefit from all the activities that are available.

Our rich history is molded from the Illinois Central Railroad, which is what our city was named after. We are blessed with a Carnegie Library, a downtown area steeped in historical buildings, and the Centralia Area Historical Museum which takes you back in time to remember and relive our local history.

Our parks and recreation facilities are among the best in Southern Illinois.  Fairview Park has baseball and softball fields as well as swimming, tennis, basketball and a skate park.  Rotary Field offers soccer fields as well as softball fields.  Sprehe Field is a beautiful asset to our community and features the two finest baseball diamonds in southern Illinois. Foundation Park is a scenic beauty that hosts our annual Balloon Fest. Lastly, the Centralia Recreation Complex was a privately funded facility which includes an indoor pool, walking track, exercise equipment and conference rooms.

I hope you can see how much Centralia has to offer and I hope you come back to this site again.  Watch our city’s downtown area develop into a bustling metropolis once again.  Track the City’s progress with street, sidewalk, and infrastructure improvements.  Follow along as we work towards long-term goals of Raccoon Lake improvements and the construction of a new water treatment facility. 

Thanks again for visiting our site.  I hope you come back soon and I hope to see you in Centralia.

Sincerely-

Rebecca Ault

About Mayor Ault

Rebecca "Becky" Ault is a proud fourth generation citizen of the City of Centralia, Illinois. She was the first of three children of Ken and Polly White and the sister of Gene White and Dean White. She is the mother of Kyle Roeckeman and Zach Roeckeman.

Becky was educated at Franklin Grade School, Centralia Township High School (now Centralia High School), Centralia Junior College (now Kaskaskia College), and Southern Illinois University.

For seventeen years, Ms. Ault worked at BCMW Community Services and served as its Energy Director. In this capacity she served as the Administrator of the Weatherization Program, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the Community Services Block Grants, and all homeless assistance programs. It was in this capacity that Becky established her record of strong advocacy for and commitment to the low income residents of this area.

The proudest accomplishment of her career at BCMW was her creation of the Adopt A Family Program. This program, which for nearly twenty years has continued to provide Christmas for families in need, was formed by Ms. Ault and provided Christmas for one family in its first year. Today the program serves over 400 families a year.

During this time Ms. Ault also served as the first Local FEMA Chairman. As Chairman, Ms. Ault was instrumental in forming the Centralia Community Benevolent Assistance Program (CCBA) and the Centralia affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. Ms. Ault served on the Centralia Habitat for Humanity Board for several years, as well as the Salvation Army Board.

In 1994, Becky left BCMW to take the position of Community Development Director for the City of Centralia. During this time Ms. Ault continued to serve the public and the citizens of Centralia through this position, working as the liaison between the City and its residents. She also oversaw several grant and loan programs, including the Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP), the Enterprise Zone Program, the Tax Increment Finance Program and the Revolving Loan Program. Ms. Ault worked on behalf of the City in securing the De Moulin Brothers factory and the expansion of Big Three Precision Products, Inc.

Ms. Ault has served as a member of the Balloon Fest Steering Committee and served as the Balloon Fest Chairman in 2008. She is currently a member of BPW, the Centralia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Centralia Sunrise Rotary (Past President) and the NAACP. Ms. Ault is also a Deacon at First Christian Church and has served as the Board Secretary.

In 2005, Ms. Ault was elected to the Centralia City Council. In 2007 she was elected as Mayor for the City of Centralia, the first woman to hold that office. Mayor Ault is proud of Centralia and its residents. She says, "I believe Centralia is the best place to raise a family and has many things to offer the citizens. Centralia has been good to me through the years and I have shown my appreciation by trying to give back to my community."

The City of Centralia congratulates Mayor Ault for her recent National Incident Management System (NIMS) certification from the Emergency Managment Institute.