Hiring, spending priorities in 2025 DeKalb city budget draft

DeKALB – More money for more staff is included in the city of DeKalb’s fiscal 2025 budget draft to address hiring needs.

The proposed $35.7 million budget, if approved, would go into effect Jan. 1. The city’s spending plan includes additional funding for public safety, the public library and more. Action taken at a recent special budget session will require additional approvals at the City Council’s Nov. 25 and Dec. 9 meetings.

Under the proposed budget, the DeKalb Police Department would receive funding to hire two more officers, bringing its total staffing count to 75. The fire department intends to onboard new hires in 2025 to staff the fourth fire station, city documents show.

Members of the DeKalb City Council and Finance Advisory Committee also reviewed the public library’s property tax levy this week. The DeKalb Public Library, although a separate governing body from the city, attaches its levy to the city’s each year. Each levy requires City Council approval before implementation.

Mayor Cohen Barnes said he feels good about where things stand with the library’s portion of the levy.

The library originally had asked for $1.18 million, or about a 35% property tax levy increase, according to city documents. That meant taxpayers could have paid about $50 more on their bills in the spring if approved.

Some city leaders, including the mayor, City Manager Bill Nicklas and 4th Ward Alderman Greg Perkins, previously met with DeKalb library officials in what they said was an attempt to convince the library board to instead propose a different levy that would bring relief to taxpayers. Those efforts appear to have found some success, Barnes said.

Barnes said he believes city and library officials had productive, meaningful dialogue about the tax levy.

“My hope is, after the discussion that we had and when we identified some of our communication breakdowns what expectations actually are, that next year, one, we’ll be more proactive,” Barnes said. “When I say we, I mean the library as well as the City Council in establishing what the expectations are going to be based off of the [equalized assessed valuations] that we’re going to have. And we’re going to get ahead of that conversation so we can avoid a future situation like we did here recently. ... I really think we were overwhelmingly and abundantly clear on what we need to be doing in the future moving forward.”

On Tuesday, the library board held a special meeting in which officials approved a tax levy without an increase.

In an interview with Shaw Local News Network, DeKalb Public Library Executive Director Emily Faulkner said the library intends to use revenue collected from its tax levy to pay for rising operational costs. Faulkner said the library board also plans to use the money to bulk up the library’s emergency fund and to pay for an estimated $408,000 in capital projects.

Among the planned capital projects the library expects to pursue include new projectors in the conference rooms, floorings and improvements to the Haish Courtyard patio, Faulkner said.

Also at the meeting, the council and the finance advisory committee bid farewell to Tom Teresinski.

Teresinski announced during the special meeting that he is retiring from the panel.

The mayor commended Teresinski for his service to the city on the finance advisory committee.

“All your work’s been appreciated, whether I was on the school board or now here in this role,” Barnes said. “You’ve always been there. You’ve always been knowledgeable. Most importantly, you’ve always been willing to give whatever time necessary to educate them to make the best financial decisions that they think they can make. [I] greatly appreciate all your service, sir.”