Progress on the comprehensive plan update for the city of DeKalb has been placed on hold until Mayor Greg Sparrow’s Growth Summit can be completed in the next month.

The DeKalb Plan Commission and the Economic Development Committee supplied information during the city’s year-long update assessments that were conducted in public meetings that began in February 2002. Work by the groups quickly slowed after Sparrow called for a growth summit to obtain more public input on the direction a new comprehensive plan would take the city.

“The planning commission wanted to put the plan on hold until after the mayor’s Growth Summit is complete; then we can move into creating policy,” said Chad Bryden, staff liaison to the DeKalb Economic Development Committee.

Bryden commended the mayor for his decision to hold summit meetings rather than relying on the plan update meetings to determine the city’s growth policy for the next decade.

“The mayor just said, ‘Whoa, let’s slow down,’” Bryden said “A lot of issues on growth all came in at the same time.”

The city council approved a $7,000 study that would use a telephone poll conducted by NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies to obtain opinions from 400 random DeKalb residents about growth. The 13- or 14-question poll will attempt to find what the average citizen wants for the future of his or her community. Results from the study are expected to be completed in one month.

Sparrow then plans to hold one or two more summit meetings before recommendations are given to the planning commission and the development committee to continue with their update processes on the comprehensive plan.

The next Growth Summit meeting is 7 p.m. today in the Council Chambers at the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 S. Fourth St. Star Poll