Lease Renewal Sparks Dysfunction and Distrust

at City Hall

FREEPORT, IL – September 16, 2025

On September 15th, 2025, Freeport City Council took up Ordinance #2025-53 — the fifth renewal of a lease agreement with local businessman Peter Alber for taxpayer-owned property at 103–111 S. Liberty Avenue.

This year’s version carried a new twist: the contract included language giving Alber an option to purchase the property outright.

That change turned what should have been routine city business into another flashpoint for questions of transparency, favoritism, and the Mayor’s family connections.