City of Alton - Committee of the Whole Meeting
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ALTON – Alton officials have taken the first step toward negotiating a new city-wide trash contract.
A resolution approved this week by the Alton Committee of the Whole and City Council authorizes Mayor David Goins and authorized city officials to negotiate with Republic Services to look into entering into a municipal waste contract.
The resolution, presented by Alderwoman Martha Pfister, states the city “desires to provide a cost-effective, continuous municipal waste service to residents and taxpayers.”
At the May 11, 2026 Committee of the Whole meeting, Alderman Chris Bohn noted the city’s ongoing problem with collecting an estimated $1.6 million in unpaid trash bills.
“With these negotiations, are we going to get out of the trash collecting business?” Bohn asked. “Right now, we’re not doing a good job of collecting the bills.”
City Council Coordinator Beth Bear said the resolution is unrelated to trash bills, and merely allows city staff to participate in trash hauler negotiations. In addition to the mayor, she said the Comptroller’s Office staff will be authorized to take part in these negotiations.
Bear noted that any potential agreement resulting from these negotiations would be subject to future City Council approval. A full recording of the May 11, 2026 Alton Committee of the Whole meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
