Joliet will use a private firm for security at City Hall.

The City Council on Tuesday approved an $81,000 contract with Allied Universal Security Services after being told its short-staffed police department needs to be used elsewhere.

The firm will provide security during regular business hours at City Hall.

City Manager Beth Beatty told the council at a Monday workshop meeting that security is needed because of “issues at our front desk” and elsewhere at City Hall.

She said private security was first employed last year in City Hall. But she would prefer to have police for security.

“That’s the goal – to have police officers in this building," Beatty told the council.

The city is using the same firm that it hires to provide security services at the Gateway Center train station.

The $81,000 contract for City Hall security comes on top of a four-year contract at $1.2 million given Allied for Gateway Center services in 2023.

Police Chief William Evans told the council that eventually he expects to have police back at City Hall for security.

“We aren’t giving it up,” Evans said. “We’re just postponing it until we have more bodies here.”

Police department recruitment is still catching up with outgoing officers who are retiring, Evans said.

The 2026 budget provides for 302 police officers.

“We have 261,” Evans said. “We feel we’d be comfortable with 285.”

The chief said 2026 should be a good recruitment year.

In the meantime, Evans said he has turned down requests from Joliet schools for more officers there.

“I hate to tell them no, but we just can’t do it,” he told the council."

Joliet police still staff public meetings. Three officers were at the council meeting on Tuesday.

A few council members said they would prefer having police providing security at City Hall all the time.

“I hate to give up this spot when I believe we can do it in-house,” Councilman Joe Clement said.

Councilwoman Jan Quillman said City Hall “would have to call police anyway” if a serious issue developed.

Both Quillman and Clement, however, joined the rest of the council in voting for the Allied contract.