If all goes as planned, the Will County Recorder of Deeds and Coroner offices will move into the former Social Security Administration building in downtown Joliet before the end of the year.

County and local officials Thursday celebrated the start of construction on the building, 158 N. Scott St.

Montgomery-based Lite Construction Inc. is remodeling the 11,500-square-foot building for $1.4 million under the guidance of architecture firm Cordogan Clark & Associates.

As Will County grows as “a major player in the global marketplace,” transportation remains one of the area’s greatest assets – and one of its greatest challenges, County Executive Larry Walsh said Thursday.

 “A massive increase in global trade has increased freight traffic in Will County, has brought new economic opportunities and, at the same time, created some local infrastructure challenges,” Walsh told members of the Will County Board during Thursday’s annual State of the County address.

“Our residents have experienced the frustrations of traffic congestion,” he added. “But we must remember the incredible benefits of this growth, including more jobs and more consumers in Will County.”

As with municipalities throughout the area, the paychecks and perks that go with jobs for elected county board officials vary widely across the region.

Although county board members are expected to log in at least 21 hours of work a week to be eligible for pension benefits, board members in Kane and Will counties make half as much as those in DuPage County.

And in the smaller Kendall County — population 116,000, according to the 2011 U.S. Census report — board members receive a base salary of $2,400 a year, with another $85 for each meeting attended, with chairmen of the Finance Committee and the Planning, Building and Zoning Committee each getting an additional stipend.