St. Charles council carries omnibus vote, adopts zoning amendments; two SSA public hearings closed with no public comments

The St. Charles City Council on Jan. 20 carried an omnibus consent motion and approved an ordinance amending Title 17 of the municipal code to update design-review standards, historic-preservation language and definitions related to painting, staining and masonry services in historic districts.

Councilmember Societta moved to approve the omnibus items and Munz seconded; the roll call recorded affirmative responses and Mayor Hall announced the motion carried.

During Committee Reports, Planning & Development presented Item C3 and moved to approve the ordinance amending Title 17. After a second and availability of Mr. Colby to answer questions, the council took a roll call vote. The roll call as recorded in the minutes showed Becker, Zocajas, Vogt, Longart, Mullins, Smallman, Kem, Prachella and Wardlaw voting "Yes" and Weber voting "No." Mayor Hall declared the motion carried.

Separately, the council held public hearings on Jan. 20 for the proposed establishment of Dormant Special Service Area No. 72 (Brook Torre Estates) and Dormant Special Service Area No. 73 (Charlestown Lake Subdivision). In both hearings the mayor noted that public notice had been published in The Daily Herald on Dec. 31, 2025, and maps were available for inspection; no written correspondence or members of the public stepped forward to speak, and the council closed each hearing on a motion and second.

No further formal actions on SSAs 72 or 73 were taken that evening beyond opening and closing the hearings; any subsequent decisions would follow the standard statutory process and additional notice requirements.

The council recessed briefly at the meeting's close and indicated transition to a subsequent meeting.