ST. CHARLES — The St. Charles City Council approved a bill that would set up a St. Charles Liquor Commission and a point system to regulate bars on historic Main Street.
The proposal authored by Councilman Dave Beckering was approved Tuesday night. It specifically targets three blocks on Main Street that feature 18 bars that remain open until 1:30 a.m.
The list of new rules includes 29 different violations. Each one has a different point value.
Someone gets into a fight at your bar? That will cost you 2 points.
Serving alcohol to a minor? That's 3 points.
Many of these minor violations can add up pretty quickly. You can only get 6.5 points every 6 months.
That means it would take just five people to bring liquor out to the sidewalk, at 1.5 points per violation, to get a bar shut down for good.
Another rule says businesses will be required to prove at least 60 percent of their revenue comes from food sales and no more than 40 percent from alcohol sales.
The plan stipulates they won't issue any new liquor licenses until the number of bars in those three blocks drops down to just six.
Beckering said the existing 18 bars can stay open as long as they follow the new rules.
