Penalties for alcohol-related offenses in St. Charles may soon see dramatic increases. The St. Charles liquor commission convened Monday night to hear police proposals to sober up bad behavior in their community.
Police proposed increases in fines for alcohol-related offenses such as public intoxication and public urination. According to St. Charles deputy chief of administration Steve Huffman, police suggested increasing the minimum fine from $100 to $250 for a first-time offense.
“What we are finding is that fine amount really isn’t enough to curb the bad behavior,” said Huffman. He says repeat offenders will have a maximum fine of $750. This means repeat offenders could face fines up to $1,500 if charged for both violations.
“In addressing the liquor code, our goal has always been to make St. Charles a destination for visitors,” he said, “so we can provide a safe and inviting social experience to those who visit our downtown bar area or any other place in St. Charles.”
Ald. Maureen Lewis, who is a St. Charles liquor commissioner, is in favor of the proposed changes. “We’re looking to send a message here in St. Charles that we’re going to have zero tolerance on certain behaviors that we’ve been trying to eliminate,” she said.
According to Lewis, public intoxication violations were only some of the topics being addressed in the list of changes discussed Monday. “This is just one small change in the document, as a whole,” she said.
Lewis says the Liquor Control Commission plans to present the proposals to the St. Charles City Council as their next step, but she is unsure of whether the council will approve.
“The majority of people who do come to St. Charles are not fighting and are not publicly urinating on the streets,” Lewis said, “but those who are, they won’t be tolerated.”
Among other issues are a “bring-your-own-bottle” (B.Y.O.B.) ordinance for local restaurants, transporting partially consumed bottles of wine, and changing language for various classes of liquor licenses. The city council could vote on the proposals next month.