Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board Executive Committee for June 11, 2026

Will County Board Executive Committee Meeting | June 11, 2026

The Will County Board Executive Committee met Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Joliet, advancing a slate of items to the full County Board after a meeting that ran more than three hours. The committee’s marquee action was recommending creation of a Will County Land Bank Authority, amended on the floor before passage (see “Will County Land Bank Clears Committee With Two Amendments”). Members also advanced a resolution adding three assistant state’s attorneys (see “Will County Committee Advances Three New Assistant State’s Attorneys”) and removed a proposed single-member-district referendum (see “Will County Committee Pulls Single-Member District Referendum”). The committee heard quarterly and annual reports from the Will County Community Mental Health Board and the coroner, the former sparking a debate over a Wheatland Township grant (see related stories). Remaining business is summarized below. All actions are committee recommendations advancing to the full County Board.

Workforce contracts advance with a $520,000 correction. The committee approved three workforce items presented by Workforce Investment Board Director Caroline Portlock, all for the July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, term. They include a one-stop operator contract with the county’s Workforce Services Division not to exceed $250,000 (26-4922); a Joliet Junior College youth occupational training contract not to exceed $1,600,000 under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (26-4923); and a JJC work readiness program contract (26-4924). On the work readiness item, Republican Leader Jim Richmond moved to amend the resolution from $425,000 to $520,000 to match the underlying contract; the committee adopted the amendment and advanced all three contracts.

Four land-use code chapters updated. The committee advanced four ordinances amending Title XV of the Will County Code of Ordinances, presented by Philip Mock of the Land Use Department: Chapter 153 on swimming pools (26-4769), Chapter 154 on subdivision regulations (26-4772), Chapter 156 on pollution control facilities (26-4773) and Chapter 157 on economic development (26-4774). Members questioned the swimming pool change in particular; staff explained it was largely a cleanup that added cross-references to Chapter 155 and Chapter 150.190, with the substantive pool regulations residing in chapters approved previously.

County executive appointments forwarded. The committee approved two appointment resolutions. Resolution 26-4872 appoints John Noak to the Northern Illinois Transit Authority for a term running September 1, 2026, to September 1, 2029. Resolution 26-4925 appoints Jeff Dvorak and Tim Ireland to the Manhattan Fire Protection District of Will County, both for terms expiring May 7, 2029, replacing William Weber and Lawrence Goodwin, respectively.

Wetlands permit inquiry raised but not advanced. Member Daniel Butler introduced, under other new business, a proposed resolution asking the State’s Attorney to investigate or issue a formal opinion on how special use permits are handled, citing concerns that “flooded farm wetland” was not properly delineated in a recent solar approval and that protected or endangered species could be affected. VanDuyne declined to take the item up formally, saying the committee had no request for a State’s Attorney’s opinion before it, and indicated the proposal would be circulated to board members. No formal action was taken.

Executive session. The committee entered closed session to discuss potential litigation and labor matters. The speaker noted closed sessions are recorded, and members were asked to limit side conversations. No action was taken upon returning to open session, consistent with the rule that no formal action may be taken in executive session.