St. Charles, county make courtroom deal

If you can't get a storefront with cash registers raking in sales tax money, a building that generates traffic — even for traffic court — is the next best thing. That was part of the thinking behind St. Charles aldermen inking a deal with Kane County Monday night.

The deal gives Kane County full oversight over the creation of a courtroom space at the old Montgomery Ward building on Randall Road. The county must follow St. Charles' building codes under the deal, but the city is absolved of any liability. St. Charles Mayor Don DeWitte has long said he wishes the land was more of a tax asset to the city, but he'll take some additional traffic.

“There is a benefit to the plan,” DeWitte said. “Hopefully, people coming in and out of that new facility will add to consumer interaction in the various businesses along the corridor. However, we still anxiously await expansion of the county judicial complex. Hopefully, the county will return the Wards building to a source of sales tax once that occurs.”

In other action, the city council also voted to extend the freeze on all fire department promotions until April 2011. City officials have said there is no money to fund any vacant promotional positions within the fire department at this time. The vote keeps the city within budget and avoids a rewrite of the ordinance covering fire department positions. The ordinance must be rewritten every time the city makes a change.

April 2011 will also see the expiration of the city's contract with the St. Charles Countryside Fire Protection District. The district is currently on track to create its own fire department, a change the city is not pleased with. It's unclear exactly how the loss of the additional coverage area may impact the St. Charles Fire Department, but Fire Chief Patrick Mullen has already said the department will need some “right sizing” if the city loses the contract with the fire protection district.