The DeKalb City Council approved Monday the acceptance of a $225,000 Department of Justice grant to offset the cost of hiring three new police officers.

The resolution passed unopposed. The patrol division of the police department will go from 43 to 46 officers.

The new officers will handle community policing and conduct patrols, said DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen.

“It’s important for us to get the officers,” he said. “Based on comparisons to other state university towns, we are below average for officers.”

The average number of officers per 1,000 population is 1.59. DeKalb has 1.35 officers per 1,000 people, according to a city memo.

Adding three officers will raise the ratio to 1.42 per 1,000 population.

The council also unanimously approved a request to waive formal bidding and contract with Michels Corporation, a Wisconsin-based communications firm, for the installation of fiber optic communication cables in municipal buildings.

The council waived the formal bidding process because Michels Corp. offered a 10-percent discount on city costs since they were already conducting business in DeKalb, said Linda Wiggins, DeKalb administrative services director.

Michels Corp. is under contract with NIU and the DeKalb school district.

“This is a good example of when waiving a bid is appropriate,” said 2nd Ward Alderman Kris Povlsen.

The council also approved Main Street DeKalb funding for a window replacement project at the Ronan-Moore-Finch Funeral Home, 310 Oak St.