More than 74% of Johnson County residents support a new jail, survey finds

IOWA CITY — More than 74 percent of Johnson County residents would support a bond measure to build a new county sheriff’s office and jail, according to draft results from a community survey commissioned by the Board of Supervisors.

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, which includes the Board of Supervisors, is proposing to put a bond issue before Johnson County voters in November 2026 that would fund a new Sheriff’s Office and jail — and be backed by property taxes — if approved.

The Board of Supervisors is working with the University of Iowa’s Center for Social Science and Innovation on a community survey about the county jail and sheriff’s office. Beyond the survey, the CSSI also is conducting focus groups on the project. The board approved spending up to $53,406 for the project.

The survey 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.

More than 750 people completed the survey, about a 19 percent response rate. Survey organizers had said they hoped for at least a 10 percent response rate.

Support for jail increased as more information was provided

The survey started with an initial vote. Respondents were asked whether they would support a bond issue to fund a new sheriff’s office and jail. Then, after survey respondents were presented with information about the condition of the current building, they again were asked whether they would support a bond measure for a new facility.

On the first question, more than 74 percent of respondents approved of a new facility. After receiving more information, support jumped to more than 80 percent of respondents.

The survey also gathered qualitative data about what influenced respondents’ votes. Survey directors acknowledged that qualitative data can be difficult to organize, but that analysts looked to classify it by themes expressed in the responses.

“The common themes (for yes votes) were about conditions for staff and conditions for inmates,” Ethan Rogers, associate director of CSSI, said at a Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. “In terms of the stable no votes, there were two common themes, sometimes together not but not always, and that was generally discussions of money in terms of cost or increased taxes. And then another common theme was more conversations about over criminalization or the use of incarceration.”

New 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.

Survey respondents were not provided a potential cost estimate for a joint facility because the feasibility study was not completed during the survey period. According to survey results, a majority of respondents indicated the cost of a facility would influence their vote.

However, more than 80 percent of survey respondents did indicate they would be supportive of a joint law enforcement facility.

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 overcrowded, posing safety concerns for both inmates and staff, and requiring that some inmates be housed at facilities outside Johnson County.

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

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 that 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.

Neither Johnson County nor Iowa City has agreed to further pursue a shared law enforcement facility beyond the feasibility study. The 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.

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.

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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