Officials in Dolton, Ill., called the purchase a rare opportunity. But some residents questioned whether the village, grappling with a deficit and potholes, could afford it.

Burt Odelson, Dolton’s attorney behind the deal, said that the owner agreed to sell amid threats of Dolton taking the house via eminent domain.

A village in Chicago’s south suburbs is poised to purchase Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home after its board voted unanimously on Tuesday to take control of the property.