Residents of Peaceful Village, a municipality of about 95 people near High Ridge, are once again attempting to dissolve the village following concerns about building standards.
John Kindermann, a Peaceful Village Board trustee, is leading the charge to dissolve the village, along with trustee Nick McKnight and nearby High Ridge resident Jon Jerome.
As of July 31, they had gathered enough signatures from village residents to put the dissolution question on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The Peaceful Village Board of Trustees will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at the Northwest branch of the Jefferson County Library, 5680 Hwy. PP. Village clerk Danielle Shannon said the board will likely discuss the dissolution at the meeting.
Kindermann said Peaceful Village has no building codes or regulations, which has led to shoddily built homes in his subdivision off Williams Creek Road. Kindermann alleges the homes were built fast and cheaply, and now homeowners are paying the price. He said one of the homes has flooded and siding is falling off another home, among other issues.
“There’s no rules and regulations for anything, for any building,” Kindermann said. “All the houses have major problems. Basically, the reason we’re trying to do away with Peaceful Village is to put it back under control of Jefferson County. So, if there’s any building permits issued, they have to go to Jefferson County.”
It has about 67 registered voters.
The village was incorporated in 2008 under the leadership of Jack Walters, who owned and operated a church and camp on 78 acres of land on Antire Road near High Ridge called All God’s Children. In 2017, Dan Ross Jr. purchased the church, changing the name to New Hope Fellowship.
Kindermann’s last attempt to dissolve the village failed at the April 2, 2024, election, when villagers voted 47-9 in favor of remaining. Jerome helped Kindermann circulate the petition at the time.
Jerome said he helped circulate the petition because village leaders were allowing the construction of a sober living home next to his home, which did not follow Jefferson County building codes and standards.
Annexation
The homes, called Cedar Oak, opened in May 2024. Cedar Oak is a faith-based facility that provides job assistance and counseling in addition to residential space for those enrolled in a sobriety program.
According to a Jan. 14, 2025, Peaceful Village Board of Trustees report, BRR Investments LLC petitioned the board for a voluntary annexation of 5920 Antire Road in 2022 to build the two homes and create Cedar Oak.
However, at the time of annexation, village board trustees Ross Jr. and his son Daniel Ross III were “organizers of the company” the report stated.
Three of the five board members were present at an Aug. 30, 2022, meeting to approve BRR Investments’ petition for annexation: Ross Jr., Ross III, and Rachel Ross, who is Ross III’s wife, the report alleges.
The report also states there was no evidence found of a public notice posted for the meeting, nor were all five board members notified of the meeting, a public hearing was not held, and no roll call vote was recorded.
Since it was revealed that the annexation of the property that now operates the sober living homes may have been done illegally, Shannon, the village clerk, said the board has not been able to resolve the issue on its own.
She spoke at the July 27 Jefferson County Council meeting, urging council members to review the records and determine whether the annexation was done legally.
She said the board determined the annexation had not been properly completed in April 2025, with trustees voting 3-0 in favor of rescinding the annexation. Ross Jr. was not on the board at the time, and Ross III and Rachel Ross recused themselves from the meeting prior to the vote.
“The county boundary map now shows the disputed property outside Peaceful Village boundaries,” Shannon said at the council meeting. “While the voter-registration records appear to say (the people associated with the property) are inside it. Those two systems cannot both be correct.”
Campaign donations
Shannon said she’s concerned that people whose properties are outside the village boundary may be able to vote on the dissolution question, which is expected to appear on the November ballot. Specifically, she said the builder of the sober living homes, Dwain Eoff, may try to intimidate village residents from voting in favor of the dissolution. Kindermann added that Eoff, who owns the building companies Wausau Homes and Madison Michael Homes LLC, also built many of the homes in his subdivision.
“Peaceful Village has been overwhelmed by powerful property interests, legal pressure, incomplete records, questionable governmental actions and constant resistance whenever the current board attempts to establish lawful procedures or protect residents,” Shannon said. “Dwain Eoff has substantial financial and property interests connected to Peaceful Village. In my experience, his money, influence and access to politically connected legal representation have created an atmosphere in which trustees and residents feel intimidated from questioning what is happening.”
According to Missouri Ethics Commission campaign finance reports, Eoff has donated to two county councilmen: Billy Crow (District 2, Arnold) and Bob Tullock (District 7, House Springs). He has also donated to Josh Williams, a Republican from Dittmer who ran against Tullock in the Aug. 4 primary for District 7.
He also donated to Richard “Stumpy” Durham, a Republican from House Springs who ran against John T. Parker in the primary for District 1. The result of the races were not available before the Leader’s deadline for publication.
According to the finance reports, Eoff donated $1,500 on May 7 to the Committee to Elect Bob Tullock and $1,000 to the Committee to Elect Josh Williams. Eoff donated $1,000 to the Committee to Elect Richard “Stumpy” Durham County Council District 1 on May 7.
Since 2024, Eoff has donated more than $4,000 to the Friends of Billy Crow Committee. Crow and Tim Jones host the Jeffco Patriot Radio Show on NewsTalkSTL, which is financially backed by Eoff.
Eoff also has dealings with the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Department.
Late last year, Eoff sold Baptist Park, a 28-acre property in the Jefferson County portion of Festus near Mapaville, to the county to be used for soccer programs. The county paid Eoff $600,000 for the property.
The park is now called Christine Eoff Memorial Park, in honor of Eoff’s late sister.
Eoff on July 31 rejected any suggestions that his personal political donations have been used to influence or intimidate elected officials or Peaceful Village residents. He said, other than an annual report he sends out to members of the Williams Creek HOA, he has minimal to no contact with Peaceful Village residents.
“Every contribution I’ve made has been a personal donation, has been publicly reported as required by Missouri law and reflects my support for candidates and principals I believe in,” Eoff said. “Like every citizen, I have the First Amendment right to support the candidates and political parties of my choosing. I support conservative or Republican candidates because those are the values that I believe best serve our community and make no apology for exercising the same rights afforded to every citizen.”
Eoff said the last time his company built in Peaceful Village was in 2022. He said the homes were designed and constructed in accordance to the 2015 International Residential Code, which he said was the applicable code at the time.
“I can only speak for the homes I constructed by my company. I did not construct them personally, my company did,” Eoff said. “For each of our homes, building permits were obtained through the village of Peaceful Village; applicable permit fees were paid; sewer permits were obtained; sewer permit fees were paid; inspections were completed, and we have signed inspection records documenting those inspections.”
Shannon said village trustees are confronted with threats of litigation that the village cannot afford to pursue anytime there are attempts to investigate building construction, enforce an ordinance, correct a property boundary or even ask for basic documentation.
“Peaceful Village has no full-time professional administration, planning department, building department, legal department or resources to stand against wealthy individuals and experienced attorneys,” she said. “We cannot continue governing through fear, confusion, missing records, disputed boundaries and constant legal threats.
“This is why I believe Peaceful Village needs to be dissolved and returned to Jefferson County. Our residents need professional departments, enforceable standards, accurate records, qualified election administration and a government with the resources to protect everyone equally.”