Updated 3/9/2021 5:01 PM
Even though some St. Charles aldermen disagreed a year ago with the idea of allowing recreational marijuana sales within the city limits, they all agreed Monday that the Zen Leaf dispensary should move from an office complex into a former Jared Jewelry store on Main Street.
With the unanimous approval of a request from Healthway Services of West Illinois LLC, the operator of Zen Leaf, the dispensary will move to the Main Street Commons shopping complex at the southeast corner of Kirk Road and Main Street as soon as state officials allow the change of address on the license.
Updated 3/4/2021 5:51 PM
St. Charles Finance Director Chris Minick has a term for the budget difficulties the city s endured for the last year: the COVID deficit.
At last weekend s city council retreat, for the first time Minick outlined for Mayor Ray Rogina and the aldermen the ongoing impact of a COVID deficit that will create a nearly $3.2 million hole in the projected budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year that begins on May 1.
Minick said projected revenue of about $47 million is shy of a normal year where the city would expect $49.25 million. A significant amount of the decrease is from hotel/motel tax revenue that s projected to be at $750,000, compared with $2.2 million in a normal fiscal year.
Posted3/3/2021 5:05 AM
A location move of less than 1,100 feet is about to make a world of difference for the Zen Leaf marijuana dispensary in St. Charles.
The city s plan commission on Tuesday approved a request from Healthway Services of West Illinois LLC, which operates Zen Leaf, to move from its current location in the St. Charles Commons office complex at 3714 Illinois Ave. to a former Jared Jewelry store in the Main Street Commons shopping center at 3691 E. Main St.
The distance between the sites is only two-tenths of a mile, but the move to a prominent shopping center at the southeast corner of Kirk Road and Main Street is a massive change for the dispensary that opened in 2015 as a medicinal facility but began selling recreational marijuana last year out of its office complex unit.
Posted2/26/2021 5:10 AM
Thanks to an anticipated budget surplus of nearly $3 million, St. Charles Unit District 303 officials are eyeing purchases of buses and computer devices that would allow the district to reduce spending for the 2021-22 fiscal year.
While the district is suffering a $2.5 million revenue shortfall for the school year through January, that s been more than offset by being $5.5 million under budget with expenditures.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Seth Chapman cited conservative budgeting because of the COVID-19 pandemic, state revenues projected to be lower that unexpectedly weren t, and variable salary and benefit expenses that are down because of fewer extracurricular and extended-day opportunities.
Updated 2/24/2021 6:23 PM
Bolstered by the results of a community survey indicating support for the direction of the 1st Street Plaza project along the Fox River in St. Charles, city officials agreed to pay $165,000 to Serena Sturm Architects for a detailed design of the plan.
The city previously paid a similar amount to Serena Sturm for a basic design that included artist renderings of the pedestrian walkway, public gathering spot and other amenities. The new design will include an updated site survey and describe the site s architectural and structural dimensions in addition to HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems.
The design will be completed by mid-May with hopes of construction beginning just after Labor Day.