Beecher to Implement ‘No Food’ Rule for New Police Station Community Room

Village of Beecher Meeting | April 13, 2026

Article Summary: To avoid charging rental fees and managing cleanup logistics, the Village of Beecher will adopt a usage policy for its police station community room that prohibits food while encouraging access for local non-profits and homeowner associations.

Community Room Policy Key Points:

• The room will be available primarily for non-profits, community groups, meetings, and trainings.

• The board opted to ban food to avoid implementing usage fees or deposits.

• At least two local Homeowner Associations (HOAs) have already expressed interest in utilizing the space.

The Beecher Village Board on Monday, April 13, 2026, voted unanimously to direct the village attorney to draft a resolution adopting a formal usage policy for the Beecher Community Room, located inside the police station.

During the Finance and Administration Committee report, the board debated whether to charge a fee or deposit for the space, particularly if groups brought in food and drink. Ultimately, officials reached a consensus that the simplest approach was to keep the room free of charge but strictly prohibit food.

“I don’t think there was ever an intention of renting it out for a party room or anything. It was just going to be meetings,” said Village Administrator Charity Mitchell, noting that two local HOAs are already interested in booking the room. “My thought was just don’t allow food rather than charge them. If you’re going to charge them a fee, some of these organizations don’t have a budget line item for taking money out of the bank to go pay a meeting to get it back.”

The board agreed that simple beverages, such as coffee or water, would be permissible, but a blanket “no food” policy would protect the space from messes and damage.

Mitchell emphasized that keeping the room free and accessible aligns with the village’s original vision for the police department expansion.

“I think the whole intent of that, when we first built that for the community room, was to let the public come in and get them more comfortable with coming to the police station,” Mitchell said.