City council absences force a revote on Belleville budget amendments
Belleville City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday night to approve 2026-27 budget amendments that failed to get enough votes at an April 20 meeting because six alderpersons were absent.
Under Illinois law, a two-thirds majority was required on two amendment-related resolutions, according to Mayor Jenny Gain Meyer. The council has 16 members, two from each of eight wards.
“We needed 11 votes,” Meyer said. “We only had 10.”
The calling of a special meeting this week revived the issue of City Council absenteeism, which Ward 1 Alderwoman Lillian Schneider complained about earlier this year. Other council members defended their records, pointing out that they’re scheduled to attend more than 50 meetings each year, including those for committees.
A motion to ratify the 2026-27 budget and its related ordinance were approved on April 20 by a vote of 9-1 because those actions didn’t require a two-thirds majority, Meyer said.
However, council members are being asked to vote a second time on the motion to ratify, along with the two amendment-related resolutions, at the special meeting.
“The budget itself passed (on April 20),” Meyer said. “But since we were getting together again anyway, we decided we should go ahead and ratify it since we were missing six alderpersons, just to have a record of who voted for it and who voted against it.”
The 10 council members who attended the April 20 meeting were Bryan Whitaker and Schneider of Ward 1, Gigi Dowling Urban of Ward 2, Kent Randle and Scott Ferguson of Ward 3, Raffi Ovian of Ward 4, Ed Dintelman of Ward 5, Mary Stiehl of Ward 6, Phil Elmore of Ward 7 and Kara Osthoff of Ward 8.
Those absent included Carmen Duco of Ward 2, Johnnie Anthony of Ward 4, Kathy Kaiser of Ward 5, Chris Rothweiler of Ward 6, Dennis Weygandt of Ward 7 and Nora Sullivan of Ward 8.
Schneider complained in January that some alderpersons were missing what she considered too many council and committee meetings, causing cancellations in a couple of cases.
“Belleville residents pay us to show up,” she said at the time.
Meyer said Monday that she wasn’t sure of all the reasons for absences on April 20, but one alderperson had undergone surgery, one had a death in the family and one was having a grandchild born.
Meyer said she didn’t see absenteeism as a major problem.
“Everybody has issues that come up that are unforeseen,” she said.
Schneider also is the alderwoman who voted against the motion to ratify the 2026-27 budget on April 20.
In an interview, Schneider said her vote represented an overall dissatisfaction with how the city is being run, a lack of accountability by department heads and too much decision-making in private.
“I just don’t think the money is being spent wisely,” she said. “There’s poor people in this town that have to live on a budget.”
Schneider served as an alderwoman for four years, then lost three elections before being voted back into office in 2023 to represent Ward 1, northeast of Belleville Public Square.
Schneider said she’s the only council member who brings up problems in public, and she gets shunned by officials as a result.
“I want them to stop bullying me,” she said. “I’m not going to take it anymore. I’m not afraid of them, and I’m tired of their bullshit.”
Meyer said budget ratification is an action that takes place every year after extensive preparation by Finance Director Jamie Maitret, other department heads and the City Council.
The 2026-2027 budget was no exception, Meyer said.
“It went to the Finance Committee two times,” she said. “It went through the public hearing. The alderpersons had it for two months. There’s nothing of concern that I’m aware of.
“I’ll be honest with you, Alderperson Schneider never bothered to contact myself or any department heads about her concerns.”
The 2026-27 budget will cover the fiscal year beginning May 1.
