Thank you for supporting our journalism. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at the Chicago Tribune.A rendering of a potential consolidated government campus at 14 W. Jefferson St., Joliet, viewed from the northwest corner. Will County photo, June 2023, Joliet, Illinois - Original Credit:
D’Arcy, who took office May 1, said the city is in “very very preliminary discussions” with county officials, and there are a lot of unknowns about the project. “Do we really need it?” Balich, of Homer Glen, said. “The county needs to show me they’ve exhausted other options.” Traynere said the new courthouse building cost about $215 million, and a new office complex would be very expensive. The county has far more pressing needs, such as repairing roads, addressing the opioid crisis and dealing with high property taxes, she said.
“Why can’t we reuse that building,” Butler said. “Money is tight for a lot of people. Inflation is high. It’s completely reusable.”“I think there has to be significant outcry from the public sector to make a change,” Butler said.