That funky little police car buzzing around campus is more than just a threat to drivers’ maniacal driving habits.

The DeKalb City Council awarded NIU an annual PRIDE award for having the first police department in the country to “go green.”

The Toyota Prius, with lights and slashes of color on the side, is a hybrid car using both electricity and gas for power. Car and Driver magazine found the car averaged 42 miles per gallon when they tested it, as opposed to the popular police cruiser Crown Victoria’s 15 miles per gallon.

NIU won a second award for its concern with the cleanliness of the Kishwaukee River. Rather than direct rainwater directly into the river, NIU planned to have it filter through the lagoon, keeping the Kishwaukee River cleaner.

After awards were passed out, the council discussed city issues at its Monday night meeting, specifically how to draw the boundary line with Cortland.

Although officials were unable to come to a solid conclusion, they were able to pinpoint the problem as being how the towns will handle Love Road.

The road could provide access to DeKalb-Taylor Municipal Airport, but in the short-term, it only poses an inconvenience for the city, City Manager Mark Biernacki said.

Under the plan, DeKalb would not rescind ownership of the land but would no longer have to routinely maintain it.

Second Ward Alderman Kris Povlsen said he did not want DeKalb to pay for a road Cortland residents are more likely to use, and he could not pass the resolution until some sort of long-term guidelines were created.

Love Road is an “arterial for Cortland” DeKalb residents do not often use, said 3rd Ward Alderman Steve Kapitan.

Mayor Greg Sparrow interjected and said although it seemed DeKalb was benefiting more than Cortland, more discussion was needed between the towns to sort out the dilemma.

“It’s all part of the give-and-take,” he said.