The Herald-News / TheHerald-News.com • Wednesday, August 5, 2015
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HERALD Committee mulls courthouse options The
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By LAUREN LEONE–CROSS
lleonecross@shawmedia.com JOLIET – The constraints of the current courthouse – and of Will County’s budget for a new one – were spotlighted during Tuesday’s County Board’s Finance Committee meeting. Up for debate was how the county should plan for future growth. The main options include building a larger central courthouse, mostly likely in downtown Joliet, or building a smaller courthouse and planning for future satellite courthouses in the northern and eastern portions of the county, where the population is growing at a higher rate. Previous project estimates range between $140 million and $200 million, but the final figure depends on how much the county opts to expand initially. It’s unclear how the county will pay for the project, though officials are exploring several options. The county court system has 35 judges, with one va-
By LAUREN LEONE–CROSS
OBITUARIES 877-264-2527 obits@theherald-news.com
JOLIET – You may be wondering why your Wednesday print edition of The Herald-News is heavier and bulkier than usual. That’s because inside is a 244-page section listing the county’s 267,000 property tax assessments for 2015 – published as required by law. Notices were mailed out Friday to property owners in Will County’s 24 townships, and are being published in local newspapers Wednesday and Thursday. The assessed value of each property is a key factor in determining property tax bills – revenue taxing bodies such as school, park and library districts heavily rely on for funding, Will County Chief Assessment Officer Rhonda Novak said. This year is a quadrennial year, Novak said, meaning township assessors reassessed individual properties, versus assessing the value of properties at the neighborhood level.
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also I don’t like to see courtrooms empty because somebody is on vacation,” he said. Committee member Don Moran argued more courtrooms and judges could mean speedier trials and fewer people in custody waiting for trial or hearings. “Is there a backlog of cases right now, especially in the criminal courts, that, if we had more judges, more courtrooms, we could have people move through the system quicker so that we don’t have people incarcerated in the county jail as long?” he said. Schoenstedt said while a cost analysis is needed, it’s logical that more judges means swifter trials. “The short answer is yes. Out of the 24 circuit courts … we’re always second- or third-busiest circuit in the state by judge-to-case ratio,” he said. “There are a lot of people, especially misdemeanor, traffic courts, that will come in needing their case to be heard, but have to be sent away because something else is going on.”
Tax assessments mailed out in Will County
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cancy. There are more than 20 courtrooms at the central courthouse on Jefferson Street, while two judges are assigned to the River Valley Justice Center and six are in the court annex building. Will County Chief Judge Richard Schoenstedt said while he originally wanted a 42-room courthouse, he understands if the county can’t afford that. But the county needs to plan for future growth, he said. “The chief judge doesn’t need a courtroom, though I am in court quite a bit and have to wait for one to open up for special cases that I hear,” Schoenstedt said. “We have two floaters who can’t do their work until a courtroom clears up.” Will County Board Speaker Jim Moustis cautioned against overbuilding and overspending, arguing there are instances where judges “go on vacation.” “It seems to me there’s always going to be a courtroom open. I know everybody would like their own courtroom, but
lleonecross@shawmedia.com
Property tax education forums Monee Township, 5:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at 46 Towncenter Drive, University Park Joliet Public Library (Black Road branch), 6 p.m. Aug. 17 at 3395 Black Road, Joliet Frankfort Township, 6 p.m. Aug. 19 at 11000 W. Lincoln Highway, Frankfort Fountaindale Public Library, 6 p.m. Aug. 20 at 300 W. Briarcliff Road, Bolingbrook Wilmington High School, 6 p.m. Aug. 26 at 209 Wildcat Court, Wilmington
In quadrennial years, which occur every four years, the assessor and property owner typically investigate taxable properties more thoroughly. The assessor also takes valid sales from the past three years, excluding foreclosures and short sales, into account to determine a property’s fair market value for 2015. Property values in Will
County are up 2.8 percent, signifying the first increase since 2009, Novak said. Lockport Township saw the highest growth in assessed value, at 4.5 percent, while others, including Crete and Reed townships, experienced declines. A common misconception is that an increase in assessed value means an owner’s property taxes will automatically go up, Novak said. But a hike depends on if taxing bodies decide to set tax rates higher. “The good news is that the locally collected property taxes is being locally spent,” Novak said. Owners can file an appeal for an assessment with the county’s Board of Review. However, Novak cautioned property owners to contact township assessors first. Since the assessments arrived in property owners’ mailboxes, Novak said her office phones have “started to ring” with questions. Novak is hosting property tax education forums Aug. 13 through Aug. 26. Appeals need to be filed by Sept. 4.
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ON THE COVER The historic Plainfield Clock Tower building in downtown Plainfield is being rehabilitated and expanded for the future location of a restaurant. See story on page 3. Photo by Eric Ginnard – eginnard@shawmedia.com
CORRECTIONS In the story “Lockport woman killed in crash in Homer Township” that appeared on page 7 of the Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, edition of The Herald-News, Joan Kaczmarek’s name was misspelled based on the initial report from the Will County Coroner’s office. Kaczmarek was the driver who died from injuries in the crash Sunday at Smith Road and 135th Street. A refer on page 1 of the Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, edition of The Herald-News contained incorrect information about the story “Neighbors at odds over Joliet liquor license” that appeared on Page 4 of the same edition. The neighborhood organization supported the liquor license. In the letter to the editor “There is a way to break state budget impasse” that was on page 16 of the Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, edition of The Herald-News, the letter writer included the incorrect phone number for Gov. Bruce Rauner. The correct phone number is 217-782-0244. The Herald-News regrets the errors. ••• Accuracy is important to The Herald-News and it wants to correct mistakes promptly. Please call errors to our attention by phone at 815-2804100.