The Joliet City Council will vote Tuesday on a three-year extension of a lease agreement that gives the city continued access to the former Joliet Correctional Center.

Joliet has leased the property from the state of Illinois since 2017, converting the former prison into an attraction for tours and events managed by the Joliet Area Historical Museum under the name Old Joliet Prison.

This lease, however, comes amid an attempt to transfer ownership of 135 acres of open land on the site to the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

The open land at times has been used for dumping, generating complaints from neighbors of the site.

The latest city lease extension includes the 135 acres, which are located east of Collins Street.

The state Senate on Oct. 30 approved Senate Bill 1698, which was sponsored by Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, and would put the 135 acres into the hands of the Forest Preserve District.

The House has not voted on the bill.

Joliet City Manager Beth Beatty and a consultant for the Joliet Area Historical Museum are listed in the state legislative record as witnesses opposing SB 1698.

The state closed the Joliet Correctional Center in 2002. The city leased the property to gain some control of it after repeated incidents of trespassing, vandalism and arson fires.

The city resolution approving the lease does not list what the city may pay for rent. But the city previously has not paid rent.