ALTON – Alton and Godfrey officials may be closer to resolving a sewage-related repayment issue dating back years.
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In March of 2025, Godfrey trustees discussed the possibility of suing the City of Alton over its failure to pay back money allegedly owed to the village stemming from the sale of Alton and Godfrey’s sewer systems to Illinois American Water. The sales were approved in 2018 and completed in 2019.
Then-trustee Jeff Weber, who first raised the issue in 2023, said Alton and Godfrey signed an agreement decades ago regarding local sewer systems. Under the agreement, Godfrey contributed about $120,000 to a fund which Alton held and contributed to.
After Alton and Godfrey sold their sewer systems to Illinois American Water, Weber said both municipalities were owed the amount they originally contributed to the fund – meaning Godfrey was owed an estimated $120,000.
After years without any resolution, Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick sent a letter to Alton Mayor David Goins on Sept. 23, 2026 formally requesting repayment “so that this issue can be put to rest.” He said Village Engineer Rich Beran now estimates the amount owed to be approximately $111,562.70.
“The purpose of this letter is to request that the City of Alton consider the issue of repayment to the Village of Godfrey for payments made prior to Alton's sale of their sewer system to Illinois American Water,” the letter states. “At the time of the sale, the Village of Godfrey had prepaid for sewage service and additional incidental fees to the City of Alton's sanitary sewer system reserve account, pursuant to an Intergovernmental Agreement executed on November 4, 1992.
“Per the City of Alton's Ordinance Number 7701, following the sale of your sewer system to IL-AWC, the amount remaining in the fund contributed by the Village of Godfrey should be returned.”
At the Oct. 14, 2026 Alton City Council meeting, Alderman Michael Velloff asked how long Goins has known about the issue. Goins said the dispute dates back to his first term and remained unresolved as the city and village disagreed on the actual amount owed.
Alderwoman Stephanie Elliott said the disagreement actually began during the administration of former mayor Brant Walker.
“This also happened in Walker’s term when it was first sold,” Elliott said. “There was always a disagreement on what was owed, that’s the honest truth. And so neither of the [previous] comptrollers could ever come up with something.”
Alton Treasurer Betsy Allen commended the work of the city’s current Comptroller Paul Fritsch, who has held the job for eight months since February of 2026. She said Fritsch quickly contacted Godfrey Village Attorney Bryan Dooling to work out a possible resolution.
“It seemed like a very agreeable conversation between them,” Allen said. “I think they might have resolved it.”
A recording of the Oct. 14, 2026 Alton City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
