Committee backs resolution supporting dissolution of Southeast Joliet Sanitary District and transfer to City of Joliet

The Will County Executive Committee approved a resolution supporting dissolution of the Southeast Joliet Sanitary District and transferring its assets and liabilities to the City of Joliet; the measure passed with one recorded abstention.

County staff and the city described a planned infrastructure upgrade to bring the district onto the City of Joliet system and to connect to Lake Michigan water; staff said the full system upgrade and transfer is estimated at roughly $14 million. Funding for the work is planned from a combination of sources the county cited in the meeting: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, initial ARPA funds previously set aside (which staff proposed to reallocate toward infrastructure), and other grant funding. The county noted that the sanitary district historically levied no tax and relied on rates charged to customers.

Staff said some district assets (for example, an office house and equipment) may be unwanted by the City of Joliet; those assets would become county property if Joliet declines them under the terms of the transfer. Committee members asked whether losing federal CDBG funding would affect the project; staff said final CDBG allocations were not yet finalized but that project funding had been planned with those sources in mind. One committee member abstained from the vote.

The committee approved the resolution endorsing the dissolution and transfer and asked staff to confirm final CDBG allocations and report any exposure the county would assume if federal funds are reduced.