Will County should consider building an administrative complex to house departments scattered throughout the Joliet area, the chairman of a Will County Board committee said Tuesday.
Officials should determine what kind of a facility they will need, then explore how to cover the cost, said Chuck Maher, chairman of the Capital Improvements Committee.
Mel Rull, executive director of the Public Building Commission, estimated a complex could cost $100 million.
“We really need a broader, bigger picture of what we need to make this a functional system,” Maher (R-Naperville) said. “What are our options? We can see the hodgepodge we have right now.”
He suggested inviting officials from Kane and DuPage Counties and their architects to discuss their experiences building a main government center. Both counties are similar in size to Will and have undergone significant population growth, he said.
The county spends about $1 million each year to rent office space for county services, said committee member Wayne McMillan (R-Bolingbrook). That money could be used to pay back construction bonds to build a new center, he said.
In the past, Will County studies on the government’s space needs have focused on staying in downtown Joliet, following the tradition of keeping a center in a county seat. But some Will board members are growing increasingly antagonistic toward Joliet, complaining of building-related fees and insufficient downtown parking. Maher also said there is little open space left in Joliet.
“It’s always cheaper to start on level ground than to tear down and redo,” Maher said.
Kurt Sangmeister, Will County Trial Court administrator, said Kane County moved most of its criminal proceedings from Geneva to an area closer to St. Charles.
