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ALTON – Alton City Council members approved changes to residency requirements for city employees this week, but not without making major changes in the absence of Mayor David Goins.
At the council’s July 8, 2026 meeting, an ordinance amending a section of the Alton City Code regarding residency requirements for non-union city employees was given a second reading. Before the final vote was called, Alderman Michael Velloff made a series of amendments expanding the ordinance far beyond its original intent.
“On the next council meeting attended by the mayor, the mayor shall submit names for all city positions subject to mayoral appointment, as all prior appointments are deemed null and void,” Velloff said. “The City Council may then either reject or approve the appointments. For the legal counsel, an engagement letter from all counsel is required.”
Another amendment by Velloff clarifies that the city’s newly approved residency requirement changes do not apply to the city’s legal counsel. Under the approved changes, non-union city employees are allowed to reside within 25 miles of their respective city building, after previously being restricted to the boundaries of Alton School District #11.
Velloff’s amendments were approved in a 5-2 vote from the council. Alderwomen Rosie Brown and Stephanie Elliott voted against amending the item, while all other council members voted in favor. The amended item was then approved 5-2, with each alderman voting the same way.
Goins has previously stated the purpose behind changing the residency requirements for certain city employees is to widen the pool of qualified applicants for city positions. He was not present at the July 8, 2026 City Council meeting, as Corporation Counselor Heidi Eckert said on Monday the mayor would not be present for the week’s meetings.
In April, an attempt by Velloff to impose one-year term limits on all officials appointed by the mayor and subject them to yearly City Council approval was postponed to 2029. At the time, Velloff said that while he agrees the city needs qualified candidates, there is currently no mechanism in place to remove a sitting employee who is “not doing their job.”
A previous attempt by the mayor to allow non-union city employees to reside within a broader six-county region was postponed by Velloff until 2029. When the mayor presented the current version of the resolution two weeks later, Velloff quickly moved to lay the item over without further discussion. However, he did not vote against its passage as a resolution before the item came back in ordinance form for a second reading this week.
A full recording of the July 8, 2026 Alton City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
