The City of Joliet to vote on its fiscal year 2026 budget. It’s expected to include sidewalk replacements among other important issues residents care about.

The city council will consider the balanced $305 million financial ordinance for adoption at its next meeting Tuesday, Dec. 16.

The city’s capital improvement portion of the budget includes less than $23 million for roads and sidewalks. The budget allocates 43 new lane miles of roadwork in Joliet next year.  Sidewalks account for about $5 million of the budget.

According to Kevin Sing, director of finance, sewer and capital work that includes continued water main replacements account for nearly $28 million so the city can bring water from Lake Michigan to its residents.

The Joliet City Council in 2022 approved a $87 million bond issue, which is a portion of the projected $592 million to $810 million project. The City of Joliet will share the costs with members of the newly formed Regional Water Commission that includes the communities of Romeoville, Crest Hill, Shorewood, Channahon and Minooka. Following Joliet, Romeoville would be the next largest water consumer in the commission.

Joliet’s existing water source will no longer be sustainable in 5 years. The goal is to provide the communities part of the commission with Lake Michigan water by 2030. New infrastructure is being built near the existing Chicago Southwest Pumping Station, which will be owned, operated and maintained by the commission.

Joliet in January 2021 approved an agreement with the City of Chicago to bring Lake Michigan water via pipeline to Joliet, which is about 33 miles.

The budget under consideration for adoption also earmarks the hiring of 11 new employees.

In the revenues portion of the budget, about $81 million is projected to be derived from sales taxes, $33.6 million from state-shared taxes, $17 million from garbage fees and $14.5 million in ambulance fees, he added.

In other city news, Police Chief Bill Evans said for the third straight year, Joliet has seen a considerable decrease in crime. 

He told the council at the same time last year, there were 614 shootings, compared to 386 now, a 37 percent decline. In 2024, according to Evans, there were 694 shootings at this time.

Similarly, he said, aggravated assaults are down to 22 from 42 last year and robberies have been a 15 percent decrease from 53 in 2024 to 45 this year.