Monday’s DeKalb City Council meeting turned into what Mayor Kris Povlsen called a “fiasco.”

An ordinance to authorize Povlsen to sign an agreement with architectural firm PSA Dewberry for the design of a new police station for $807,000 was on the agenda, but Povlsen made a motion to indefinitely postpone voting on the ordinance. His motion to postpone voting was voted down. Several members of the city council expressed a desire to see information from other architectural firms and find out how much they proposed the new police station would cost because they had not been on the council when PSA Dewberry was selected as the architectural firm to use.

“I can’t say I want to go with this one just because they did three years ago,” said 7th ward alderwoman Monica O’Leary.

Senior history major Nina Cunningham said the council needed to take a step back and consider changing the proposed location of the new building because NIU students had spoken out against it.

“Their voices have not been heard,” Cunningham said. “There is not an insignificant number of students and faculty who are opposed to this.”

Several motions to talk with other firms and see what their projected cost of the building would be were filed and either voted down or withdrawn following an extended discussion about the ordinance. City council members said they wished PSA Dewberry had attended the meeting because they had not spoken at length with representatives of the firm, and Povlsen said he could see there was a lack of faith in the firm on the council. A new motion to postpone voting on the ordinance itself was filed and voted for.