Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board Capital Improvements & IT Committee for May 5, 2026

Will County Board Capital Improvements & IT Committee Meeting | May 5, 2026

The Will County Board Capital Improvements & IT Committee focused heavily on long-term infrastructure planning during its May 5, 2026, meeting. The session was dominated by a detailed presentation from Wight & Company regarding four potential $300 million master plan options to replace the county’s aging downtown Joliet facilities. The committee debated the merits of partnering with the City of Joliet on a shared building versus constructing standalone county facilities, while also hearing from the County Clerk about severe shortages in warehouse space for election equipment.

AI Policy Report: Chief of Staff Chuck Pelkie informed the committee that the administration is currently working on a draft for the county’s Artificial Intelligence policy. Based on recent survey responses from county departments regarding their current use of AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, the draft policy is on schedule to be presented to the committee in June or July. The policy will establish ethical frameworks, privacy protections, and procurement standards for generative AI.

Debt Service and Capital Borrowing Capacity: A financial report submitted to the committee by Anthony Miceli of Speer Financial outlined the county’s current debt profile and borrowing capacity for future capital projects. The county’s recent issuance of General Obligation Refunding Bonds (Series 2025A and 2025B) successfully closed in October 2025, resulting in an overall savings to the county of $5,739,302.60. The report noted that outstanding debt payments will fall significantly after 2026, and again after 2030 when the “Road Bonds” mature. This creates space for potential future capital borrowings—estimated to support a combined total issuance of up to $131,415,000—while maintaining a level debt service pattern.