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Saint Charles council approves park festival permit, abandons private road, awards tree contract and sets budget hearing
Summary
At a regular meeting, the Village of Saint Charles council approved a two-day park event permit for Rebel Magnolia, adopted Resolution 25-3 to abandon an unused road at 126 East Maple Street, awarded a tree-removal contract for a hazardous tree on West Walnut Street, set a budget hearing, and approved payment of claims totaling $82,172.57.
The Village of Saint Charles Council approved a two-day park permit for the Rebel Magnolia festival, adopted a resolution to abandon an old road to clear title for a pending sale, awarded a contract to remove a dangerously split tree on West Walnut Street, set a budget hearing for next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., and approved payment of claims totaling $82,172.57.
The council voted to allow Rebel Magnolia to return to the village for a two-day event, with council members saying the organizers have previously brought large crowds to town. A village staff member said the organizers “have paid the $800, the 500 fee, and the 300 security deposit” and that the group is seeking the May 9–10 weekend; the staff member said organizers anticipate about 1,800 guests and have arranged shuttle parking and trash pickup. Several council members voiced support and the motion passed.
Council members also approved Resolution 25-3, a declaration to formally abandon an old, unused roadway that crosses the property at 126 East Maple Street so the owners (the Judds) can complete a sale. A staff member said the village attorney prepared the resolution and that, once finalized, the paperwork will be forwarded to county equalization and GIS for record updates. Roll call on the resolution showed Paul Jenderski absent and six council members voting yes.
The council awarded a tree-removal contract to Monks Tree Service for work on a large, split tree on West Walnut Street whose limbs hang over the roadway and power lines. Council discussion described the tree as a public-safety risk; the approved contract price of $2,150 reflects the chosen option to leave the logs on site and grind the stump. The motion passed on a roll call with six yes votes and one absence recorded.
Members set a budget hearing for next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and reviewed a fiscal-year 2025–26 draft handout. A staff member told the council the village expects roughly $1,000,000 in grant dollars this year and a roughly $1,200,000 project the following year; the draft capital improvement plan averages about $1,100,000 of investment for the village over the next six years. The staff member said the formal budget vote is not required until March under the village fiscal calendar, and council members agreed to meet to review line items.
The council voted to approve payment of claims in the amount of $82,172.57. The motion carried after a voice vote; no individual roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript for that item.
Department reports and public comment followed. Public commenters praised police presence and the rail-trail security cameras, and residents raised complaints about roadside dead animals and a billboard question at the town entrance. Building and code-enforcement staff reported an ongoing Main Street complaint and a GIS parcel-line correction effort for several West Maple properties. Police staff reported recent staffing changes and increased incident reports tied to improved coverage.
Next formal steps noted in the meeting record include filing the executed resolution with county offices and processing the tree contract scope with the awarded contractor; the council also scheduled a follow-up budget workshop to review the draft line by line.
