DeKALB – The DeKalb City Council passed the final development plan for a warehouse and distribution – Project Midwest – at its meeting Monday.
The project is set to break ground at the northeast corner of Peace Road and Fairview Drive.
Drinking water in DeKalb
The council passed purchase agreements that would help with the treatment of drinking water in the city. These include a purchase agreement with Alexander Chemical Corporation (ACC), which involved the purchase of fluoride, as well as other contracts with Carus LLC for ortho/poly blended phosphate and Midwest Salt for softener salt.
The purchase agreements with ACC and Carus LLC are both set to last for a period of two years from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027, while the agreement with Midwest Salt will only last for a year, through 2026.
City Manager Bill Nicklas elaborated on the importance of these commodities.
“These commodities are very competitively priced, and on the other hand, they are part of a national market,” Nicklas said. “There are fewer and fewer companies that are vending each of these types of additives.”
Taxes
The council passed an ordinance authorizing the 2025 tax levy and 2026 tax collection to be used for corporate and municipal purposes, as well as special service areas in DeKalb for Fiscal Year 2026.
The council then approved an ordinance abating taxes levied for corporate purposes in DeKalb.
Project Vector
The council also discussed Project Vector, a project from an unknown company involving the construction of a data center located on 560 acres of land, south of the Meta Data Center.
Some residents on social media have expressed concern about how the project could destabilize DeKalb’s economy and affect the environment.
Nicklas said residents shouldn’t worry.
“We hope that people will take the time and look at the information,” Nicklas said. “We feel that in this case, the core of the discussion is not going to be so much about the economic impact.”
DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes encouraged everyone to read more on Project Vector to learn more about the process of approving this project.
“I definitely encourage everyone to read the background information,” Barnes said. “So, you can read about no water, you can read about the Illinois Department of Agriculture signing up and bless this project.”
A public hearing will be held in the DeKalb Public Library regarding the data center on Monday.
The next City Council meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Dec. 8 at the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St.
