Johnson County will not pursue joint law enforcement facility with Iowa City

IOWA CITY — The Johnson County Board of Supervisors says it will no longer pursue a joint law enforcement facility with the City of Iowa City. The move follows a split decision by the Iowa City Council last week to move forward with the project.

The county will continue exploring the feasibility of building a new Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Jail, and could put a bond measure on the November 2026 general election ballot.

The Iowa City Council voted 4-3 last week to adopt a resolution to begin drafting articles of incorporation for a joint law enforcement authority to oversee construction and operation of a facility shared by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa City Police Department.

The council’s vote was in response to the Johnson County Board of Supervisors’ formal invitation for the council to weigh in on a joint project.

“I would say no, with the split of support within Iowa City Council and more feedback from community members that they are against it rather than for it, and now with the sheriff also saying that he would prefer we go at it alone ...,” Supervisor Mandi Remington said during a meeting Wednesday while discussing whether to move forward with a joint facility.

Sheriff Brad Kunkel, in rescinding his support for a shared facility last week, cited comments by council members who did not support the resolution as part of the reason he changed course.

  Buy Photo

A feasibility study had put the estimated cost of a joint facility at around $106 million, and reported that sharing 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.

However, the estimated savings is dependent on site location, number of beds in the jail, and overall scope of the project, none of which have been finalized.

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

Potential for millions in savings with joint facility

Conversations about a joint law enforcement facility began as both entities started to contemplate the future of their respective facilities, which are deteriorating and offer limited space for modern day operations.

The city council and the board of supervisors were in the process of creating articles of incorporation for a joint law enforcement authority that would need to be independently approved by both bodies.

“I think there's way too many things that would have taken a lot of time to try and negotiate, and we probably wouldn't have found a solution within the amount of time that we have and our time can be better spent on trying to move forward with a 60 percent threshold that we're trying to be at ... and I've said before, I don't think it's in the best interest of the county to be in a relationship with elected officials who see no value for law enforcement,” Kunkel said about rescinding his support for a joint facility.

City council members Laura Bergus, Oliver Weilein and Mazahir Salih voted against the resolution, citing concerns about the potential loss of council authority with the creation of a commission for an issue that’s been met with mixed reception from the community in the past.

All three dissenting council members agreed that a new space for the police department should be explored, but could be done without collaborating with the county.

  Buy Photo

“… the reason we're being asked to do this is to lower the threshold by which such a facility would be approved by the voters … because our community historically does not support at the 60 percent plus one threshold the construction of a jail,” Bergus said at the council meeting last week.

Weilein also expressed concerns about the sheriff’s office having a negative influence on the Iowa City Police Department’s culture.

The county supervisors were largely quiet during Wednesday’s work session, offering little explanation for their decision to abandon plans for a joint facility.

Supervisor Rod Sullivan commented on the issue in his weekly newsletter to constituents, which was sent Monday.

“It was clear to me after the last Iowa City Council meeting that there are three Council Members who are dedicated to undermining any type of jail project. … It is fine if they want to oppose a new jail — that is their right as voters. But we cannot have them sabotaging the process from the inside, and that is precisely what they were going to do,” Sullivan wrote.

  Buy Photo

Even among the city council members who voted in favor of the resolution, there were concerns about the role of the joint law enforcement authority. Mayor Bruce Teague continued to his voice his long-held opposition to building a law enforcement facility at the proposed site.

The proposed site is 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.

City staff previously identified the land as a possible future location for other public buildings. Both Kunkel and Iowa City Police Chief Dustin Liston said the location would be suitable for a joint law enforcement facility.

Moving forward without the city

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. The county has already begun the process of looking for land.

Kunkel has said he’s confident a bond referendum for a sheriff’s office and jail can still reach the required 60 percent threshold with voters.

  Buy Photo

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.

“I really feel like the needle has shifted, not only on people's understanding what we're doing through diversion, but also understanding that this is a workplace safety issue, and I really feel that that speaks to a lot of people ... I really think we have the momentum to see this through and I'm very confident we'll make it happen,” Kunkel said.

A survey of Johnson County residents, conducted by the University of Iowa’s Center for Social Science, in cooperation with the Board of Supervisors, showed 74 percent of the 750 respondents would support a referendum for a new county law enforcement facility.

The survey, conducted over the summer, was mailed to more than 3,800 county addresses and asked for public input on the current facility, public safety measures and thoughts on a new facility.

However, the survey did not include a cost estimate for the facility as the feasibility study was not complete at that time. The county also has not finalized the number of beds that would be in a new county jail.

The future of the Iowa City Police Department’s space remains unclear. The Iowa City Council next meets Oct. 7.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

Get a weekly roundup of Johnson County news by signing up for my Johnson County Update newsletter.