About

Welcome to Murphysboro, Illinois

Ask residents of beautiful Murphysboro why it's such a great town and you are likely to hear these responses: excellent schools, friendly residents, delicious barbeque, charming (affordable!) homes, and fantastic fishing and boating. With convenient access to metropolitan areas such as St. Louis, Missouri; Paducah, Kentucky; and Evansville, Indiana, Murphysboro is a quiet, comfortable place to live and the ideal place to locate and grow your business. Artists have found the community to be a welcoming environment for them to produce and market their work. Just eight miles from Southern Illinois University, surrounded by orchards and wineries and adjacent to the Shawnee National Forest, Murphysboro is a town that nurtures and sustains new businesses with its intelligent workforce and proactive civic/industrial 

The City of Murphysboro was officially incorporated as a city on March 4, 1867. Located in Jackson County, Murphysboro has a population of approximatly 9,500 people. The city is governed by a Mayor, City Clerk, and a 10 member city council, with two aldermen representing each of the city's five wards for four-year terms. Five aldermen are elected every two years. The mayor, and the city clerk are also elected for four-year terms.

The mayor presides over all council meetings but has no vote except in case of a tie. He has the power to veto an ordinance, but the ordinance may be carried over veto by a two-thirds vote of the council.

The mayor represents the city at official, civic and social functions and is executive head of the city. He is also required by Illinois law to serve as the city liquor commissioner. His duties involve the issuance of licenses to and the collection of fees from all licensed liquor dispensers within the corporate limits of the city. The mayor is also in direct control of any action to revoke a license by reason of violation.

With approval of the council, the mayor appoints members of the Sallie Logan Library Board to operate the city library. The Murphysboro Park Board is filled by regular election, and Murphysboro's two representatives on the Southern Illinois Airport Board are appointed by the county judge and the mayor.

The council runs the city through committees appointed by the mayor. The council is the general policy making body of the city, and through its legal adviser, the city attorney, drafts and puts into force the various city ordinances which regulate city activities.

The city clerk is in charge of all records and papers of the city, including all city council business. The clerk issues all notices, pays all city bills, receives all fees paid for various classes of licenses issued by the city, and has charge of building permits for new construction.

The city attorney represents the city in all legal matters. He is the legal adviser of the council and represents the city in any legal action. His office is appointive, and when the need arises, the council has the authority to hire special legal counsel to assist the city attorney...