Starting Thursday, anyone walking into Alton City Hall for a Committee of the Whole, City Council or Plan Commission meeting will have to pass through metal detector screening, follow a new limited-bag policy, and stay in their seat once the meeting gets underway. The city says the changes take effect November 12, 2026, and apply to people entering the building after normal business hours on meeting nights.
According to riverbender.com, people entering City Hall during those meetings will be required to undergo metal detector screening for weapons and prohibited items. Uniformed Alton Police Department personnel will handle the screening, using a temporary process until a permanent metal detector is installed, the outlet reports.
The city is also rolling out a limited-bag policy. Small personal items no larger than 10 by 8 by 4 inches may be permitted, subject to inspection, per the same report. Exceptions will be made for medically necessary items, disability-related equipment, diaper bags, and work items tied to legitimate municipal business.
Seating Rules Aim to Keep Chambers From Overflowing
City Hall officials worked with the Alton Fire Department to review the maximum occupancy of Council Chambers, and additional public seating has since been added inside the room, the report notes. Once a meeting commences, attendees will be asked to remain seated — standing will not be allowed, a restriction the city says is meant to keep the chambers from becoming overcrowded.
If the room fills beyond capacity, the city says additional seating will be available directly outside the Chambers, with the proceedings broadcast over speakers into the lobby area. Meetings will also continue to be available via livestream on the city's website, and officials say the new screening and seating protocols will not affect public comment at meetings.
Mayor David Goins framed the overhaul as informed by what other communities have already put in place. “We have looked at how other public bodies have implemented security protocols and drawn on best practices,” Goins said, per riverbender.com.
Disturbance and Arrest Preceded the New Rules
The announcement comes after an October 28 disturbance at a City Council meeting that was, according to firstalert4.com, filled to capacity, with additional citizens standing in the doorway and lobby area. Daniel L. Mertz, 46, was subsequently charged with two counts of threatening a public official and one count of disorderly conduct, the outlet reports — charges that remain allegations.
Alton police say Mertz was charged on October 30 after the Madison County State's Attorney's Office reviewed the case, according to a separate riverbender.com report on the matter. KMOV, which first reported on the new security rollout, noted the timing between the disturbance and the city's announcement of new procedures.
Alton is not alone in tightening entry rules at public meetings. Belvidere announced enhanced security screening for its Committee of the Whole meeting on November 9 and its Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on November 10, according to mystateline.com, requiring attendees to pass through metal detectors and submit to possible searches before entering City Hall — though that city's public notice did not specify why the measures were being added. Cedar Rapids' City Council unanimously approved weapons screening designed to detect firearms and knives at its City Hall's front door, per kcrg.com, and Bellingham, Washington, moved to screen attendees at a January 2025 council meeting using a temporary manual process after its ordered metal detector was delayed, according to bellinghamherald.com.
