Joliet City Council member Juan Moreno said he has settled almost $22,000 in fines with an $800 settlement with the state election board.

A settlement would solve one problem for Moreno, who still faces a challenge to his legitimacy to hold office from the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Moreno commented on the settlement with the Illinois State Elections Board on Tuesday during an interval in a court hearing on a challenge to his legitimacy to hold office.

“I settled it for $800,” Moreno said.

A spokesman for the election board confirmed the settlement.

Morena was a first-time candidate for public office when he was elected to the City Council in 2025.

He said that neither he nor the volunteer who handled his campaign finance reports knew that donations of $1,000 or more needed to be reported to the state elections board in a matter of days rather than in quarterly reports.

“Everything was reported,” Moreno said but not as timely as required by state election law.

Moreno, a truck driver for Austin Tyler Construction out of Elwood, received a large number of big campaign contributions from building trades unions and construction companies, including his employer.

He was the top vote-getter among the council candidates seeking three at-large offices elected citywide.

Whether he remains in office could be decided on March 9, when a Will County judge is scheduled to hear arguments for summary judgements aimed at either dismissing the case or removing Moreno from office ahead of a trial.

The state’s attorney’s office contends that Moreno was not a legal city resident when he ran for office and only happened to be living in Joliet when he moved in with a relative during problems with his fiancee who remained with their children at the house they shared outside city limits.

Moreno’s attorney’s contend that he abandoned his former residence when he moved into the Joliet house. They also argue that the time to challenge his legitimacy as a candidate was before the 2023 election, not after he was already sworn in as a council member.

Both sides argue that the case is being fought to uphold the “stability” of elections.

The state’s attorney’s office contends that Moreno should not be allowed to remain as a council member if his candidacy did not meet legal requirements. His attorneys contend that Moreno’s removal from office would open the door to post-election challenges that should be made before candidates are placed on the ballot.