St. Charles council moves forward on FY26 property tax levy, sets March 24 public hearing

The St. Charles City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 10 to proceed with a proposed property tax levy rate of 10.5389 percent for fiscal year 2026 and scheduled a public hearing on the levy for March 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.

Council member Allison moved to adopt the planned levy and Council member Kozak seconded; the motion carried on a unanimous roll call. Council member Brockett moved and Council member Blomme seconded a separate motion to set the public hearing date; that motion also passed unanimously.

The actions came amid routine business that included approval of the evening's agenda and the consent agenda. By motion, the council approved minutes from Jan. 13 and Jan. 14, the January treasurer’s report, the claims and receipts report for February, and consideration of Casey’s Liquor License renewal; the consent motion passed on a unanimous roll call.

City leaders described the 10.5389 percent levy as a small decrease from FY25. No additional detail on the levy’s budgetary impacts or program-level allocations was provided during the meeting minutes; council members noted the budget for FY26 was under discussion but did not record final allocations.

The council also approved setting a public hearing to allow residents to comment on the levy before the council takes final action. The public hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on March 24, 2025, at St. Charles City Hall.

Other procedural items handled during the meeting included routine roll-call motions and unanimous votes to approve the agenda and adjourn at 8:22 p.m.