The DeKalb City Council voted 5 to 2 for pay increases for aldermen and mayor at Monday night’s meeting.

Under the increases, the mayor will receive $16,200 instead of $13,200 per year and aldermen in wards 2, 4 and 6 will receive $5,200 instead of $3,600 per year, effective May 1, 1989. Wards 1, 3, 5 and 7 will not be eligible for pay raises until May 1, 1991.

Alderman Christine Hoagland, 1st, and 7th Ward Alderman Mark Powell voted against the pay raises.

Powell said, “There is a great deal of negative sentiment regarding the increase in salary.”

But 4th Ward Alderman Rita Tewksbury defended the pay increases. “I have not had objections shown by the public.”

Alderman Mike Neylon, 6th, supported voting for a pay increase and pointed to an editorial favoring the increases in the Sept. 26 issue of The Northern Star.

However, Powell said, “If we believe what the editorials in The Northern ‘Slur’ had to say, we’d all be misinformed.”

The council postponed a decision on a possible pay raise for the city clerk and will consider the matter at its next meeting.

In other business, the council abolished the community development department and created departments for code enforcement and planning.

Under the reorganization, the position of assistant city manager is revised to become the head of the economic development team and the city coordinator of the Greater DeKalb Partnership and the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, DeKalb City Manager Mark Stevens said at a press conference Sept. 23.

The proposal does not require more money from the general expenditure funds and does not add more full-time positions to the budget, Stevens said.

The council also ratified a $237,848 contract between the city and NIU for fire protection and emergency ambulance service.

Stevens said this is the third year services will be provided to NIU at the same price. Next year, NIU will be asked to pay more, he said.