Iowa City, Johnson County consider forming joint law enforcement authority

IOWA CITY — The Iowa City Council is contemplating whether to take the Johnson County Board of Supervisors up on its formal invitation to establish a joint law enforcement authority to explore the possibility of a new law enforcement facility that would be shared by both entities.

While the city has not yet made a decision or voted on the matter, questions about the building location, timeline, cost, and entity authority still remain as the county and city decide whether to move forward on the project.

The Iowa City Council said it plans to discuss the matter further at its next council meetings. The Board of Supervisors has requested a final decision by early October, after the council’s first scheduled meeting in the month.

“The ball is kind of in their court now, if they're interested in pursuing something as a joint facility, or if they're not up to it for their own reasons, and then one way or the other, I think we'll know pretty soon what's the direction for the county,” said Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel.

The October deadline was set to allow enough time for a bond measure for the new facility to be put on the November 2026 general election ballot. Ballot language would need to be approved by Aug. 26, 2026.

A bond measure to build a joint county/city project would require 50 percent approval from voters, as opposed to the 60 percent required if the county alone were to introduce a bond.

“I do feel like the city has been, not intentionally, but really left behind in these conversations that you all have been having for the last year,” said Iowa City Council member Laura Bergus. “And it's just wild to think that we should be asked to make a decision at this level of importance for our community on such short notice.”

Establishing a joint law enforcement authority

The joint law enforcement authority, governed by a board of unpaid commissioners, would oversee the construction and maintenance of a shared building. Iowa Code allows for the establishment of a joint law enforcement authority for the purpose of constructing a public building for use by both the county and the city.

A joint law enforcement authority would be made up of three members: one appointed by the Board of Supervisors, one by the City Council, and the last through consensus from both bodies.

A member of the board or the council could be appointed to the commission. The Board appointee must live outside Iowa City limits, while the council appointee would need to live within city limits.

If the third member cannot be agreed upon within 60 days of the first commissioner being appointed, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds would have the authority to appoint someone.

Members of the Board of Supervisors and City Council have said they’re concerned about how much authority each body would be giving up to a joint law enforcement authority.

The scope of the authority would be ironed out with the development of the articles of incorporation for the commission, as well as the bylaws.

Should the city choose to move forward, the legal counsels for both entities would work to draft the articles of incorporation that must be approved by both bodies.

“If the city is philosophically aligned with the county that the overarching goal of these documents should be to minimize and restrict the powers of the authority and commission, reserving as much authority to the Board of Supervisors and to the City Council ... that’s probably going to be 85 to 90 percent of the guidance that our two attorneys’ offices would need,” said Jon Green, chair of the Board of Supervisors.

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Joint facility could cost an estimated $106 million

A joint law enforcement facility shared by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa City Police Department could cost around $106 million, according to a feasibility study conducted by OPN Architects and Shive Hattery.

The 138,000 square foot facility would include a 140-bed jail, with the option to expand. There also would be an option to not build out the entire 140-bed capacity initially, a move that could result in cost savings.

Members of the Board of Supervisors have disagreed about the number of beds needed in the jail, since Shive-Hattery presented the results from its space needs assessment in the summer of 2024. The board plans to decide on a final bed number in the next two weeks.

A shared facility would provide shared spaces for training, evidence, investigation and patrol efforts. The study reports the facility could be three or four stories, with the possibility of underground parking or a surface lot.

The feasibility study estimates a joint facility would save around 16,000 square feet of space and $9.4 million in construction costs, compared to the space needs and cost of each entity pursuing construction of its own facility.

The feasibility study was conducted to explore the possibility for shared spaces and determine an estimated footprint of the building. It is not a final building plan.

“What we're trying to balance is putting together a sufficient presentation that we have something to discuss, while also respecting you folks and not putting together something that is already done,” Green told the council members. “And so this should be viewed as the beginning of our conversation, should the city wish to work with the county.”

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Conversations about a joint facility began as both entities started to contemplate the future of their respective facilities. Both Johnson County and Iowa City have completed independent space needs assessments of their facilities over the last two years.

The current county jail is crowded, posing safety concerns for both inmates and staff, and requiring that some inmates be housed at facilities outside Johnson County.

There’s been minimal conversation around expanding the current facility as Johnson County does not own the land adjacent to the current facility and Shive Hattery has said expansion is not a “viable” option.

Iowa City’s police department is in a similar situation. Officials have said the department’s current space, which is located within city hall, isn’t fit for long term use due to its age and crowding concerns.

Potential location identified on Highway 6

A potential location for a new facility has been identified, where the Iowa City Transit Headquarters sit today, near the intersection of Riverside Drive and Highway 6. The city already owns the land and is in the process of developing a new transit facility, with the hopes of it being constructed in a new location.

The Iowa City Council has not voted on this proposal or committed to putting the land toward a future law enforcement facility.

Both Kunkel and Iowa City Chief of Police Dustin Liston have said the location would work for their respective entities.

“I think it's a good location for us,” Liston said at Wednesday’s joint meeting. “I do think we would maintain some sort of small footprint downtown, probably with our downtown liaison officer and maybe our community outreach and see what that looks like as we go forward. But my plan would be to maintain a small presence downtown, but I like the location. It's close enough that it's relatively centrally located, and we have easy access to many different parts of the city.”

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Iowa Code requires that the county jail be located within Johnson County’s county seat, which is Iowa City. To accommodate the footprint of the proposed building, county officials said the site likely would need to be 10 to 15 acres.

Land acquisition costs were not included in the $106 million estimate for the facility.

Bond measure proposed for November 2026

If a bond passes, it’s likely the construction bid wouldn’t go out until the middle of 2027. The feasibility study came up with the $106 million estimate assuming that construction schedule. Once ground is broken on a facility, it likely would take another two to three years before construction is completed.

The county has previously tried to finance jail improvements through bond referendums in 2012 and 2013. Both proposals received more than 50 percent approval from voters, but failed because they needed 60 percent to pass.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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