While many students left campus and took a break for the summer, the Sycamore City Council held their regular bimonthly meetings to address city matters.

On June 1, the council was approached by the owner of World Famous Pizza, 124 E. State St., to discuss the possible amendment of a Title 3 liquor ordinance. This would allow the creation of a new Class I license, permitting eating establishments to allow their customers to ‘bring their own booze’ to the restaurant. The council approved an application fee for the license as well as an annual license fee for the ordinance.

A main point of the July 6 meeting was the ordinance regarding the lease agreement between the city of Sycamore and B & B Enterprises, 308 W. State St, Suite 302.

City Manager Bill Nicklas said during the discussion of the lease, one alderman raised the objection that the lease would somehow give B & B Enterprises a business advantage, as they would be in close proximity of the City Council and other city resources.

“As I pointed out at that meeting, we also lease to a printer, and no one has complained that such a lease gives them an unfair advantage over other printers,” Nicklas said.

The ordinance in this matter was eventually passed, allowing B & B Enterprises to take possession of the suite on July 15 with a set base rent amount.

During the Aug. 1 meeting, the council discussed a resolution supporting issuance of a new debt service to fund an addition to the Public Safety building, 150 N. Main St.

The agenda pertaining to the resolution cites that the facility is undersized and does not have the required resources or space to meet the city’s needs. The plans for the renovations include a two-story addition with a sally port for weapon storage, expanded patrol locker rooms and a basement area that would serve as an emergency shelter as well as the city’s emergencies operations center.

To fund the project, the city is looking to take advantage of interest subsidized taxable bonds known as “Build America Bonds,” which are part of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.” These bonds would allow for a lower interest rate, which would save the city more money than if they funded the project using traditional tax-exempt municipal bonds.

Nicklas said without this federal incentive program, the city could not afford the cost of borrowing what they would need for the new addition. More information on the actual rates of both such bonds is detailed in the city agenda from this meeting.

The next Sycamore City Council meeting is to be held at 7 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the Sycamore Center, 308 W. State St.

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