Residents press council on housing and traffic; citizen accuses city attorney of misstatements

Several residents used the council's public-participation period on Jan. 20 to press the City of Belleville on different local concerns.

Mister Brown accused statements made by City Attorney Horner to a past committee of being untrue and referenced professional disciplinary rules, saying, "Mister Horner, what you said wasn't true, was it, to the committee?" He urged the council to "look at the minutes" and warned that if the statements were false it could lead to an investigation by the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). The mayor interrupted to note the public-comment period was not a question-and-answer session.

Tom Witte urged the council to address downtown vacancies and housing affordability, arguing that high rents discourage people from living downtown and that the city, county or state could explore ways to reduce costs for seniors and others. "You shouldn't have to pay 1000 dollars a month for a 1 bedroom apartment," he said, urging partnerships to make housing less expensive and revive downtown activity.

Stuart Leonard, identifying himself as "Stuart Leonard, Belleville, Illinois," raised safety concerns about traffic signals, saying bright caution lights near Lindenwood can blind drivers while other crossings (29th Street and Godfrey) have no lights and put schoolchildren at risk.

The council did not take formal action on the accusations or the public suggestions during the meeting; the allegation concerning the city attorney stands as a public complaint recorded in the minutes and was not resolved on the record.