ALTON – Both sides in the case of Mayor David Goins vs. the City of Alton will have to wait slightly longer to make their arguments before a Bond County judge.
Last Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, the hearing was rescheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at the Bond County Courthouse in Greenville, Ill.
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Madison County court records show the hearing was rescheduled due to the unavailability of the city’s legal counsel for a previously scheduled hearing on Sept. 17, 2026. A representative of Mayor Goins previously stated on Sept. 11 that the hearing was set for Oct. 6 before being rescheduled again on Sept 17.
The newest hearing date of Oct. 9, 2026 marks nearly two months since the case was originally scheduled to be heard in Madison County court on Aug. 12, 2026.
The delays have not only been caused by scheduling conflicts, but also the mayor and city’s individual requests to substitute the judges presiding over the case. Current Judge Christopher Bauer is the fifth judge to be assigned to this case.
The hearing concerns the mayor’s motion for preliminary injunction and the city’s motion to dissolve the mayor’s temporary retraining order (TRO). Goins is seeking a declaration from the court that two ordinances passed by City Council members were beyond the scope of their powers and inconsistent with Illinois law.
The city’s legal representation argues Goins is not entitled to protections under the TRO, including blocking the City Council from enacting the challenged ordinances, since the mayor himself signed both ordinances into law.
The ordinances in question resulted in two city employees being ousted from their positions before their terms expired, including City Attorney Rodney Caffey and Planning Director Greg Caffey. They also imposed new billing transparency requirements on the city attorney.
Both Caffeys have also been named as additional plaintiffs in the case following a consolidated motion granted on Sept. 1, 2026. The motion argues both Caffeys were “unlawfully removed from their respective positions” prior to the court granting Goins’s TRO, which temporarily reinstated them pending further court proceedings.
