The city council approved the three year contract at Monday’s meeting by a 5-2 vote.

The contract calls for a 5 percent increase in payments from the Cortland Fire District each year it is in effect, DeKalb Fire Chief Lanny Russell said.

Fifth Ward Alderman Pat Conboy said he thought the increases were inadequate and should be higher. Calls from the Cortland Fire District more than doubled between 1998 and 2004, he said.

Third Ward Alderman Steve Kapitan said calls are going up at a significantly higher rate than 5 percent.

Russell said Cortland Fire District is at the maximum tax rate of 30 cents per $100 accessed value in property for fire protection. The contract represents the most they can pay.

The council also approved an ordinance that removed the requirement for grocery store employees to complete alcohol server training before selling alcohol.

City Clerk Donna Johnson said it was just an oversight that the requirement was in place at all.

In other action, the city council unanimously approved an increase in the police department fee for fingerprinting.

The fee increased from $38 to $60, said DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen. The new fees will allow the department to recapture costs associated with fingerprinting.

The fees will mostly affect school personnel, Feithen said. As of August, school districts are required to fingerprint new employees.

DeKalb has the only electronic fingerprint machine accessible to the public in the county, Feithen said.

Electronic fingerprinting reduces turnaround time from up to six weeks to a few days, he said.