The City Council approved a lease extension on the Joliet Correctional Center property on Tuesday but not without facing questions from the public.

City officials said they are willing to work with the Forest Preserve District of Will County, which is interested in buying 135 acres of open land on the site.

They did not comment on an ongoing dispute with former employees and volunteers at the Old Joliet Prison, now a tourist site managed by the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

The council voted 8-1 to renew a lease with the state, which still owns the property after closing the prison in 2002.

Before the vote, three residents questioned how the prison property has been managed in recent years.

“We need responsible stewardship,” Alicia Morales said, pointing to complaints about dumping and misuse of 135 acres of open land that is part of the prison property.

Christine Johnson, one of the employees and volunteers fired from the prison in 2023 and banned from the property under controversial circumstances, urged city officials to revisit the issue before renewing the lease.

“You guys can do something about it,” Johnson said. “I know you can.”

City officials did not respond to Johnson. But they did say the city is willing to discuss a transfer of the 135 acres to the Forest Preserve District of Will County,

The Illinois Senate in October approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, that would transfer ownership of the 135 acres to the forest preserve district.

City Manager Beth Beatty, listed in the legislative record as an opponent of the bill, said she opposed it because city officials had not been consulted about the bill.

“I want to be clear,” Beatty said. “I am not opposed to the property eventually going to the forest preserve.”

Mayor Terry D’Arcy also said he is not opposed to the forest preserve district taking ownership of the 135 acres.

He described city discussions with forest preserve district officials on the topic as “very good and cordial.”

The three-year lease extension gives the city continued control over the prison, which has been opened for tours and events since Joliet first leased the property in 2017.

“Really, we’ve seen nothing but improvement at the prison over the last seven years,” said Hugh O’Hara, a member of the Joliet Area Historical Museum board.

The city initiated the first lease to gain some control over the prison property, which had been prone to trespassing, vandalism and even arson fires since it was closed by the state.