City council is now one step closer to passing the city’s budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

The council passed a consideration to cut spending by authorizing no wage or salary increases, with the exception of contractual step increases.

The consideration also transferred $250,000 from the Hotel-Motel Tax Fund to the General Fund for city operating purposes.

Second ward alderman Pete Paulsen said one of the key components is to cut spending by not cutting any jobs.

“No increase is better than no job, whether it’s your job or your buddy’s job,” Paulsen said. “That’s a very, very key part of this option is no increase in wage and salary for at least this year. I think everybody’s going to have to take one for the team, there’s different unions but it’s all the same team.”

Brad Dewey, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said he was glad the council chose layoffs as a last option.

“The people that would be laid off from our group are people that we just brought on, and we feel it would be irresponsible to send them off,” Dewey said. “We feel very strongly that we don’t want to send any of our people away.”

Fourth ward alderwoman Terry Kessler said she looks at it as the unions and council have to work together, and wages may increase at another time as the council has done in the past.

“When we get through these hard times, we will look and we have in the past made salary adjustments,” Kessler said. “Is it unfair? Yes. Do I understand your frustration? Yes. I know personally, working for a government at Northern Illinois University, our chief financial officer and the president have been squeaking to give us anything, any little bit; increments in the middle of the year, when they can.”

Police chief Don Thomas presented the 2005-2008 activity report and said national and state crime rate comparisons are very good, and Sycamore is a safe place to live. Thomas also said state-issued tickets decreased while city police officers gave out more warnings instead.

A proclamation passed declaring February 2009 Career and Technical Education Month in Sycamore.

Mayor Ken Mundy said this fosters productivity and skills in youth.

“This gives high school students practical and basic skills motivating potential [high school] dropouts lifelong opportunities to learn new skills.”