ALTON – Alton officials voted 6-1 on Wednesday, April 9, 2026, to further delay proposed cuts to Alton’s share of Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau funding until 2027.
On April 8, 2026, City Council members approved an amendment to a previously postponed resolution which would have slashed the amount Alton contributes to the Bureau’s funding by approximately 68% via ordinance. The approved amendment shifts the date of the vote from May 15, 2026 to April 12, 2027.
Alderwoman Patty Ford, who introduced the resolution, cast the sole vote against postponing it further.
Moving consideration of the resolution to next year would allow Great Rivers & Routes to move forward with this year’s budget, including event contracts that have already been secured, in an effort to avoid disrupting their operations, according to Alderman Michael Velloff. He added that there’s been a lack of communication between city officials and Great Rivers & Routes before the issue was voted on.
“Slashing their budget by 68% would be detrimental to them,” Velloff said. “Why not have some time so that the mayor’s office and Rivers & Routes can have a discussion?”
City Clerk Lauren Wilson clarified that postponing the resolution further means Great Rivers & Routes will continue to get the same amount of funding from Alton until the item is reconsidered in 2027.
More details about the proposed tourism funding cuts are available in this previous story on Riverbender.com. A full recording of the April 8, 2026 Alton City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
