Alton Changes Residency Requirements For Non-Union City Employees

Alton City Council Meeting

ALTON – Alton has officially expanded the area non-union city employees and applicants can reside in.

City Council members voted 5-2 to approve a resolution passed earlier this week by the Committee of the Whole to amend a section of the Alton City Code regarding residency requirements for non-union city employees. At both meetings, Alderman Chris Bohn and Alderwoman Patty Ford cast the two votes against the item.

Currently, non-union city employees are required to reside within the boundaries of Alton School District #11. The newly approved change will allow non-union city employees to live within 25 miles of the building they report to, including City Hall, the Public Works building, the Police and Fire Department buildings, and more.

Alton Mayor David Goins has made multiple attempts to widen the city’s residency requirements in an effort to expand the pool of qualified applicants for certain city positions.

Committee members previously voted 4-3 on May 11, 2026 to postpone a similar resolution to 2029 which would have allowed the city’s non-union employees to reside within the same six-county region as union employees. This would have included the Illinois counties of Madison, Jersey, Macoupin, and St. Clair, as well as St. Louis and St. Charles counties in Missouri.

A full recording of the June 10, 2026 Alton City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.