DeKALB | Residents voiced concerns over rooming house regulations at Monday’s DeKalb City Council meeting.

Under the proposed ordinance, property owners would be required to present plans, drawn to scale, of rooms and plots when renewing or applying for licenses. Many owners worried about the increased cost of submitting new plans.

“Why spend 75 percent of a month’s rent to draw these drawings to scale?” Susan Besinger of Horizon Real Estate questioned.

Robert Carlson, an attorney and owner of one rooming house, echoed Besinger’s concern calling the requirement, “overly burdensome on the owner.”

City attorney Norma Guess assured owners they would not be required to hire professionals. She also said plans were required every year previously, though not to scale. The ordinance changes will go through a second reading at the next meeting.

The council voted to postpone a decision approving a special-use permit for DeKalb resident Steve Irving. The permit would allow him to build an AAMCO Transmissions on Sycamore Road. Irving could not attend the meeting and Steve Kapitan, 3rd Ward alderman, urged the council to address changes with landscaping plans directly with Irving before approving the permit.

DeKalb police officers Fred Busby and Dick Zenzen received life-saving awards for performing CPR on a young child who fell into a pool and was not responding when pulled from the water. Mayor Frank Van Buer and Police Chief Bill Feithen presented the officers with awards, followed by a standing ovation.