DeKalb council approves $225,000 in human services grants, CDBG plan and several vehicle purchases

DeKalb City Council on Jan. 27 approved a package of funding and procurement measures that included $225,000 in local human-services contracts, a $40,000 one‑time grant to the Voluntary Action Center and the city’s annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) plan, along with capital purchases for transit and public safety.

The council passed Resolution 2025‑009 to continue annual human‑services funding from the city’s general operating budget, and approved a one‑time $40,000 supplemental grant to the Voluntary Action Center (Resolution 2025‑010) paid from remaining ARPA funds. City staff also secured council approval for the five‑year CDBG consolidated plan and the 2025–26 annual action plan (Resolution 2025‑011), using an estimated CDBG allocation of $352,979 for the coming program year.

Council members also approved capital contracts and purchases: a master purchase contract to buy six heavy‑duty transit buses (five diesel and one hybrid) under a Gillig LLC master contract (Resolution 2025‑012), purchases of water meters and radio transmitters from Badger Meter (Resolution 2025‑013), and authorizations to buy six police vehicles from local dealers (Resolutions 2025‑014 and 2025‑015). Separately, the council voted to accept a negotiated termination and settlement with MetaNet for outstanding franchise fees (Resolution 2025‑016).

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