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Edwardsville residents may see new streetlights in their neighborhoods in the near future.

The Edwardsville City Council has asked city staff to begin the process of having the electric companies place the streetlights in those neighborhoods that don't have any.

Council member Ed Gillette made the proposal, which gained the support of the entire council.

Gillette said he came up with the proposal after he and Council member Bob Lane talked to residents in the Williamson Farms subdivision.

However, Williamson Farms would not be the only neighborhood to receive lights. City staff, along with police officers, will formulate a list of areas where streetlights are needed throughout the entire city. The council will then act upon the recommendations.

Besides illuminating the city, the council is looking at expanding city hall.

Council members met Monday with Tom Horner, the owner of the shopping complex next to City Hall.

Horner's proposal calls for the city to expand into two adjacent office spaces connected to City Hall. The spaces total 4,800 square feet.

The city would rent the extra space from Horner for $6 a square foot if it occupied both spaces and $6.50 a square foot if it occupied one space.

The spaces need remodeling and repairs. Horner could do the remodeling, but the city would have to pay him more than $10,000, or the city can do the job.

Council members made no decision on the proposal, which could cost the city more than $150,000 a year in rent. At the recommendation of Mayor Luther Pickell, the council will evaluate the proposal after the , April 1 general election.

Another option the council could consider is building a new City Hall. The council will discuss the proposal again, April 28.

There could also be a new spring cleanup plan for Edwardsville. Council member Tim Kelly proposed having multiple citywide cleanups instead of the one-day event each year.

The cleanups could be once a month or once every two months. The proposal also eliminates the city offering residents a free trash dump day.

The city would still rent a dumpster for residents to bring trash to on a designated day. However, residents would be required to volunteer two-hours to pickup trash in the city before being allowed to dump their own trash in the dumpster.

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