50 ILCS 20/2
It is hereby found and declared that there exist in many county seats and in many municipalities within this State inadequate and outmoded public improvements, buildings and facilities for the furnishing of essential governmental services and for use in the conduct of local government by the various branches, departments and agencies thereof; that in many cases, by reason of the age of such public improvements, buildings and facilities and the increased activities on the part of both the citizen and his local government, they are no longer adapted or adequate to meet the needs of the growing population; that as a consequence thereof there are many counties, cities, municipalities and other branches and agencies of government within this State which are compelled to spend large sums of money annually in the rental, operation and maintenance of additional building space to house the various branches, departments and agencies of government to meet this ever increasing need; that as a result thereof, in many of the cities, counties, and other municipalities within this State, the public buildings housing the various branches, departments, and agencies of government are widely scattered and dispersed throughout the locality, thereby creating confusion and considerable waste of time and effort on the part of citizens conducting ordinary business with the various branches and agencies of government, and thereby creating reduced efficiency of operation in the necessary intergovernmental activities of the various branches and agencies of government; that many public records, wills, conveyances, vital records, court orders, and other similar documents in use in the conduct of daily business, are now filed in many poorly protected and overcrowded spaces and at widely separated locations by reason of the lack of an adequate public building or buildings; that the rendering of essential governmental, health, safety and welfare services is adversely affected by reason thereof, to the detriment of the citizens in many county seats and municipalities; that these conditions impair the efficient, economical and indispensable governmental functions of the various branches and agencies of government and the rendering of essential governmental, health, safety and welfare services, and that in order to eradicate these conditions, it is hereby found and declared to be necessary and desirable to make possible the construction, acquisition, or enlargement of public improvements, buildings and facilities to be made available for use by governmental agencies with the intent and purpose of centralizing, insofar as is practicable, the activities of the different branches of government and to make possible the construction, acquisition or enlargement of public improvements, buildings and facilities at convenient locations within the county seats and municipalities, for use by governmental agencies in the furnishing of essential governmental, health, safety and welfare services to its citizens; and that the eradication of these conditions and the construction, acquisition or enlargement of such public improvements, building or buildings and facilities, in the manner hereinafter provided in this Act, is hereby declared to be a public use essential to the public interest.
50 ILCS 20/2