While students were on summer break, the DeKalb City Council was hard at work discussing possible ordinances and making changes.

Among these changes were alterations to Chapter 38 of the DeKalb Municipal Code “Intoxicating Liquors.” According to minutes from the July 13 council meeting, the DeKalb Liquor Commission and city staff have been considering different options for the code for the past 36 months.

The changes were passed in the hopes of “making the Chapter more internally consistent and incorporating...changes that will make administration of the liquor code...more reflective of the true costs of delivering services to liquor licenses,” according to the minutes.

Adjustments to the liquor code are not the only changes in DeKalb. The council plans on addressing an agreement with the DeKalb firefighters Monday.

DeKalb City Clerk Steve Kapitan said negotiations with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 1236 to find a resolution have been underway since three firefighters were laid off last month.

“The city previously approached different employee unions and requested that they agree to a wage freeze in exchange for the promise of no layoffs. The firefighter union did not agree, so the city laid off three firefighters,” Kapitan said.

According to the city council agenda for Aug. 24, the new agreement, if passed, will require the city to reinstate the three laid-off firefighters and the IAFF will have to agree to waive their carrying fee compensation and allow a series of wage freezes.

The council will also discuss amending the Municipal Code to allow tattooing in DeKalb. This potential change would add a new chapter to the code and would adopt many of the standards from the State of Illinois licensing for body art establishments, Kapitan said.

The next city council meeting is at 7 p.m. Monday at the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 S. Fourth St.

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