Politics & Government
St. Charles Bars Might Have to Pay $900 to Stay Open Until 2 a.m.
Under proposed St. Charles liquor code changes, late-night permit fees would range from $800 to $2,300 a year. Should Geneva follow suit?
It will be interesting to see if this potential action by St. Charles has any affect on hours or code-enforcement fees in Geneva or Batavia.
St. Charles bars whose owners want to stay open until 2 a.m. could pay $900 more a year for what would become a privilege separate from their liquor licenses under a proposal that could go before aldermen early next month.
Mayor Raymond Rogina, the city’s liquor commissioner, told members of the St. Charles Liquor Control Commission that he hopes to present the proposed liquor code revisions to the St. Charles City Council Government Operations Committee on Dec. 2.
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Key revisions already appear to have commissioners’ consensus support:
Liquor licenses for bars and restaurants would allow those establishments to service alcohol until midnight; package liquor sales, such as by liquor stores, would still be required to end at 10 p.m.
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Establishments that want to stay open past midnight could apply for either a 1 a.m. or a 2 a.m. late-night permit, but only those establishments with Class B1, B2, B3, C1, C2 and C3 liquor licenses.
The permits would be reviewed annually by the City Council. Bars could be denied renewal of the permit based on criteria included in the revisions. Those criteria could be used not only to refuse a permit renewal, but also could be used to revoke the permit or, in the case of a 2 a.m. permit, consider cutting it back to 1 a.m.
The commission entered Monday’s meeting facing the next step — setting a fee structure, which includes revising liquor license fees and establishing late-night permit fees.
Rogina presented the commission with a proposal he said the city staff has put together.
The proposal would change the liquor license renewal fees prize for Class B1-B2 and B3, and C1, C2 and C3 licenses all reflect a base liquor license fee of $1,200, down from the $2,600 charged now. But the new fee would reflect a midnight closing time.
Rogina said establishments that want to stay open later would pay another $800 a year for a 1 a.m. late-night permit, or $2,300 a year for a 2 a.m. permit.
The change would have a combined annual cost of $2,000 for 1 a.m. permit holders, and $3,500 a year for 2 a.m. permit holders, Rogina said.
“Someone who currently holds a 2 a.m. license pays $2,600,” Rogina said. “So they pay $900 more a year if they continue to serve until 2 a.m.”
He advised the commission that the proposed fees represent a starting point for discussion, and that aldermen might decide to revise further.
What do you think? Should Geneva bars be allowed to stay open until 2 a.m.?
Related:
Oct. 22, 2013: St. Charles Nears End on Liquor Code Revisions
Oct. 22, 2013: Late-Night Liquor Permits: Only for Class B, C Licenses
Sept. 18, 2013: Proposal: Liquor Licenses with Midnight Closing, Later Hours by Permit
Sept. 16, 2013: Liquor Commission Considers Late Night Permits
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