Joliet City Council to vote Tuesday on funding for Rialto, history museum

The Joliet City Council will vote Tuesday on the city’s annual funding for the Rialto Square Theatre and Joliet Area Historical Museum.

The council in December approved a city budget that includes allocations for the Rialto and museum.

The Rialto would get $475,000 and the museum $250,000.

The vote on Tuesday would authorize the release of the budgeted funds.

The city this week issued a news release on the upcoming vote, noting that funding for the Rialto and museum has been repeatedly provided over the years.

The city has provided annual funding for the Rialto since 1980 and for the museum since 2002, according to the release.

City funding to support both the Rialto and museum date back to the creation of the institutions.

According to the release, the funding arrangement for the museum was changed in 2024 to a reimbursement arrangement that limits how the money can be used.

Museum funding includes $125,000 for activities at the Old Joliet Prison, $100,000 for activities at the museum in downtown Joliet, and another $25,000 for special events.

Rialto funding will help offset costs for an $8.5 million renovation project for the theater’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, according to the release.