Decisions pertaining to police station funding were split again Monday night at DeKalb City Council.

The council voted 4-3 to pass the first reading of the ordinance raising the restaurant, bar and package liquor tax to 2.5 percent. The ordinance will come back for the second reading at the Nov. 24 meeting.

This ordinance is one of the modes chosen by the council to pay for the $1.3 million per year bond payments for the proposed station.

Seventh Ward Alderman Brent Keller said he is opposed to this ordinance because by raising this tax, DeKalb would have a sales tax rate of 10.5 percent. Keller also said in this current economic climate, it makes no sense to increase anyone’s taxes.

Sixth Ward Alderman David Baker echoed Keller’s comments saying he does not understand why you would tax a suffering industry in these economic times.

“Why attack an industry that is already hurt as it is?” Baker asked.

First Ward Alderman Bertrand Simpson disagreed with Baker’s comments. He said the city will have to increase taxes eventually.

“At some point of time in the future, some tax is going to go up somewhere and I don’t want us to talk about it as if it is an attack on anyone or anything,” Simpson said.

Second Ward Alderman Tom Teresinski said the restaurant and bar tax is an essential part of the police station funding. He said the majority of the funding still lays on the homeowner.

“The [restaurant] and [bar] tax is going to represent 22 percent of this project,” Teresinski said. “Sixty percent of this is going to remain on the back of the water meter surcharge.”

The council also voted 5-2 on a resolution to hire Executive Partners, Inc. from Nov. 11, 2008 to May 20, 2009 to assist the city in developing strategic priorities and direction for the city’s financial affairs.

City Manager Mark Biernacki said some people on the council and members of the community said there may be some problems with the city staff because they cannot handle the budget themselves. Biernacki defended the city, saying DeKalb is not the only city in the region that is experiencing financial difficulties.

“The city of DeKalb is not alone in this issue,” Biernacki said. “There are cities across the country and across Illinois that are all facing the same thing. This is not a problem missed by staff.”

Biernacki advised the council to look at other cities before they jump to conclusions about the performance of the city staff.

“Please look broader than the city of DeKalb,” Biernacki said. “Elgin today, I just saw 50 people being cut. Naperville, 50 people cut, Wheaton, Oak Park, Evanston, Joliet; the list is growing and growing. Not because of mismanagement on part of the city council or on the part of staff, but because the economic climate is causing it.”

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