DeKalb City Council

DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes issued sharp words this week for landlords he said “aren’t doing their job,” throwing his support behind a proposal aimed at reducing crime in DeKalb by targeting local property owners with hefty fines.

DeKalb city leaders said they have a plan to curb ongoing gun violence in the area, and it could involve hefty fines to landlords who don’t intervene when criminal behavior occurs on their property. The proposal goes before the DeKalb City Council Monday.

Recently released audio from an Oct. 2021 non-public portion of a DeKalb City Council meeting shows city leaders discussed the performance of City Clerk Sasha Cohen, a move the Illinois Attorney General’s Office said was a violation of state open meetings law.

The construction project comes with a $3.5 million price tag, and the city has set aside $2 million in local funds, which will include $1 million in motor fuel tax funds contributed by private developments.

DeKalb city leaders approved this week a plan to increase wages for the city’s transit bus drivers and support staff, in the hopes of recruiting and retaining more staff to stay.

First United Methodist Church plans to sell the building to EggToy Studios Design, Inc. and lease back the space to the church once their new facility along Annie Glidden Road is constructed in the summer of 2023.

Their current establishment, located at 418 N. Tenth Street, is expected to remain open for business. “It brings new life to part of our town that is starting to change, starting to perk up,” DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas said of the development.

Recent crime in the city of DeKalb was a topic of conversation at a DeKalb City Council meeting this week, with DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes calling violent crime a “significant issue.”

Monday’s City Council meeting will provide a second opportunity for residents to provide public input on how to redevelop the Hillcrest/Blackhawk lot and the Annie Glidden North area.

The petitioner’s rezoning request was approved in a 6-0 vote at Tuesday’s meeting of the DeKalb Planning and Zoning Commission.

The petitioners’ business proposal was approved in a 6-0 vote at Tuesday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

A new grocery store and a small restaurant could set up shop right on the edge of the DeKalb's downtown. Paraiso Minimarket, located at 418 N. 10th Street, is expected to remain open for business.

The owner of Ellwood Steak & Fish House in DeKalb is looking to bid farewell to patrons next month, when the new ownership is expected to take over the restaurant.

To help ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists, DeKalb city leaders allocated 1.1 million in state dollars to replace bridges at North First Street and Lucinda Avenue where each structure crosses the Kishwaukee River. Construction could begin in April.

Plans to update the comprehensive plan in DeKalb are now in place, meant to help steer city leaders in the coming years on development and land use. The last time the city of DeKalb's comprehensive plan was adopted was 2005.