A 13-year veteran of the Sycamore Police Department was recently promoted to second in command in front of colleagues, family and city officials.

The Sycamore City Council is expected to vote Monday whether to impose a local 1% grocery tax when the statewide tax sunsets at the end of 2025, documents show.

A developer’s 3-year-old plan to build 40 luxury-style townhomes on the south side of Sycamore, now called Hathaway Gardens Subdivision, moved one step closer to fruition Monday, though it still needs approval from the City Council.

The owner of land annexed into Sycamore in June presented his latest plans to bring commercial and residential developments this week to city officials.

The Sycamore City Council will consider annexing land near the corner of Coltonville Road and Electric Park Drive on Monday, potentially paving the way for a commercial developer. “It’s kind of an eyesore right now," city commissioner Dave Finney said of the land.

Figures provided by city officials show Sycamore brings in close to the amount in grocery tax revenue as neighboring DeKalb, a city twice its size. Third Ward Alderperson Nancy Copple said she thinks more people in Sycamore can afford groceries compared people in DeKalb.

Though Illinois’ statewide grocery tax is going away come January, Sycamore city residents could still be expected to pay one. The Sycamore City Council will consider a local 1% grocery tax at its Monday meeting.

A building-sized mural will soon adorn a downtown Sycamore building, and more could be on the way.

The number of 911 calls from those seeking emergency medical aid in Sycamore is higher than the state average, data shows. “A lot of that is symptomatic of the load that’s in the emergency room,” Fire Chief Bart Gilmore said.

Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall was given a pay raise by the Sycamore City Council recently. Hall’s base salary has increased by $21,385 over the past three years, records show.

City leaders from Sycamore’s schools, parks, business community and city government gathered this week to provide residents with updates on goals for the city and ongoing initiatives.

Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser was sworn in for a second term this week.

The 19,000-square-foot new Sycamore fire station at Borden Avenue and South Prairie Drive will be constructed on about 6 acres of land and include a classroom and community meeting space, training tower, and a larger space to house the city’s first ever ladder truck.

You won’t be able to watch broadcasts of Sycamore City Council meetings anytime soon after council members this week rejected a request from one of their own to video record their meetings.

The Sycamore Fire Department soon will have a ladder-equipped fire truck for the first time in city history.

A developer wants to build multiple single-family and multi-family homes and condominiums along 12 acres on Sycamore‘s north side, though his proposal still needs work, city officials said this week.

Construction of a $10.5 million new Sycamore fire station, which will replace the city’s 68-year-old station on DeKalb Avenue, is expected to break ground in less than a month.

During an eventful but short Sycamore City Council meeting this week, Erik Mahan was sworn in as Sycamore’s new police chief.

Five days after Sycamore Police Chief Jim Winters retired, his second in command is expected to follow suit.

Sycamore Police Chief Jim Winters officially retired this week, marking the end of his decades-long policing career. He helped welcome the new chief, Erik Mahan, at the Sycamore City Council meeting.

Rob Dancey: Currently I am not in support of (recreational marijuana) licenses for Sycamore businesses. I side with the City Council and their decisions in both October 2019 and April2023, and the concerns that lead to their voting.

The next time Sycamore officials go to spend public dollars they’ll have to check to see how their purchase squares with a new spending policy set by the Sycamore City Council this week.

The City of Sycamore approved $40,000 in funding this week for the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce, while the chamber’s leader addressed concerns brought forward by one downtown business owner.

Multi-family townhome buildings could soon be constructed in Sycamore, but the prospective builder still has work to do, city officials said this month.

Roads in multiple Sycamore subdivisions could get a facelift in 2025 worth more than half a million dollars, according to city documents.

Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall said that even if pennies fall out of circulation, the city’s parking meters still will be maintained and required for downtown use. President Donald Trump this month ordered a stop on penny production.

A man familiar to regular attendees of Sycamore City Council meetings is looking for public support that could have him seated on the other side of the room later this year.

Sycamore City Council’s first meeting of the month was over in less than 7 minutes Monday. Here’s everything they accomplished in that time.

Running unopposed for a second term this spring, Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser has the luxury of knowing he’s likely got another four years in office. He spoke with Shaw Local about the police chief search, new fire station build and other 2025 city goals.

The Sycamore beautification committee will hold its first meeting of the year Tuesday. The group still wants to put up a mural in downtown Sycamore, 1st Ward Alderwoman Alicia Cosky said.

The city of Sycamore soon will purchase new vehicles for multiple departments, and one is headed to the police department’s K-9 unit.

City officials said Sycamore property taxpayers could pay slightly less to the city than they have in past years on their 2024 property tax levy.

The Sycamore Public Library will not raise its property tax levy in 2024.

A year and a half after city officials were first pitched the idea of a new fire station, the Sycamore City Council approved $10.5 million for the new construction project.

Here’s what the Sycamore library portion could look like on your 2024 property tax bill

A BP gas station in Sycamore has received city approval to take corrective actions to deal with the release of chemicals into the soil from an underground fuel tank, Sycamore officials confirmed this week.

City officials this week said Sycamore can afford to pass a property tax levy which would offer taxpayers a bill about $62 less than what they paid last year, though some alderpersons said they aren’t sure that’s the best decision.

At least four, and maybe more Sycamore residents will campaign to be elected to a city office in the 2025 consolidated election, but only one of them isn’t currently an elected official, according to city documents.

A construction manager for a proposed new fire station in Sycamore has been awarded a $837,031 contract in the city’s next step to overhaul its main digs for the Sycamore Fire Department.

The Sycamore City Council during its Monday meeting could approve a funding policy for the city’s police and firefighter pension plans, according to city documents.

After city officials identified all lead service lines attached to the public works, Sycamore City Council on Oct. 21 approved parameters for how the city will handle future service line replacements.

The Louisville, Kentucky-based operator of Kindred Hospital in Sycamore intends to close the long-term acute care facility within the next six months, city and hospital officials have confirmed.

New plans for a second phase of Old Mill Park, a 55-plus community in Sycamore, received city approval after the developer tweaked his idea multiple times to reduce the density of the proposed residential complex.

A new location has been proposed for a Sycamore fire station, which still requires city approval before it’s built.

After being denied twice in two months by the Sycamore City Council, the developer of a 55-and-older living community in Sycamore received an initial approval this week for amended, lower density condominiums. The new single units would start at $280,000, he said.

The developer behind Old Mill Park, a 55-and-older living community in Sycamore, is coming back to the city on Monday with scaled-back plans for the second phase of his development, city documents show.

The city of Sycamore is on track to borrow as much as $5.7 million from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to fund improvements to its water system.

A developer hoping to build 40 townhomes in Sycamore received a thumbs up from city officials this week with his latest plans to build in a subdivision behind Blain’s Farm & Fleet. The units would sell between $350,000 and $375,000, and need additional city approval.

The Old Mill Park developer who said Sycamore residents want smaller condos will have to come up with a new proposal if he wants to add single-bedroom units to his community, after another failed attempt to get city support.

The Sycamore City Council dissolved multiple city committees officials said were long inactive and voted instead to create a special committee system the mayor will oversee.