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IOWA CITY According to a feasibility assessment by OPN Architects and Shive Hattery, the cost of a joint law enforcement facility shared by the Iowa City Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office might be approximately $106 million.
A 140-bed jail would be housed in the 138,000-square-foot building, with room to grow. Additionally, it would offer common areas for patrol work, training, evidence collection, and investigations. According to the analysis, the building might have three or four stories and either surface parking or underground parking.
Compared to the space requirements and expenses of each party pursuing its own facility, the feasibility study predicts that a combined facility would save approximately 16,000 square feet of space and $9.4 million in construction expenditures.
After the feasibility study, neither Iowa City nor Johnson County have committed to moving forward with a combined police enforcement facility. The purpose of the study was to assess the building’s footprint and investigate the potential for shared areas. This building plan is not final.
In the upcoming weeks, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors will consider passing a resolution inviting the City of Iowa City to proceed with a collaborative initiative.
Both entities have space, safety concerns
As both organizations began to think about the future of their individual facilities, discussions for a joint facility commenced. Over the past two years, Johnson County and Iowa City have both finished evaluating their facilities’ space requirements.
Because of the overcrowding in the current county jail, some offenders must be kept at institutions outside of Johnson County, raising worries about their safety as well as that of the personnel.
Since Shive Hattery has stated that expansion is not a feasible option and Johnson County does not own the land next to the current facility, there hasn’t been any discussion about growing it.
The police department in Iowa City is in a similar predicament. According to officials, the department’s current location within city hall is unsuitable for long-term usage due to its age and issues with overcrowding.
It’s been a while since the police department actually increased its workforce. However, we have nowhere to put the few civilians we wish to bring on board because we are constantly discussing mental health issues. During a meeting of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee on Thursday, Iowa City Police Chief Dustin Liston compared the scenario to Harry Potter and compared it to a closet under the stairs.
Potential location identified on Highway 6
The site of the current Iowa City Transit Headquarters, close to the intersection of Riverside Drive and Highway 6, has been considered as a possible site for a new facility. The land is already owned by the city, which is now working on a new transit facility with the intention of building it somewhere else.
The Iowa City Council has not committed to using the land for a future law enforcement facility or cast a vote on this proposal.
It’s truly the perfect place for many reasons. In terms of reaction times, it is situated in the middle of the town. We are situated on a corner of a major east-west road and a large north-south road. The second really great thing about it is that it addresses a lot of the community’s concerns about first responder facilities, which include noise, lights, and proximity to residential areas. At the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee meeting, Shive Hattery resident Michael Lewis stated that there are no residential areas.
Number of proposed beds in new jail
Shive Hattery requested a $80 million building with 140 beds, the same amount as in the joint facility study, when it presented its initial space needs assessment to the county board of supervisors last summer.
Estimates of population increase over the following 30 years were used to project that space needs. However, some community residents and government leaders have contended that since crime in the county is declining, there is no need for a facility with more beds.
The number of beds required in a possible new facility and the initial space needs evaluation have not been decided by the board of supervisors.
In order to reduce the need to hold offenders outside of the county, County Sheriff Brad Kunkel has supported a plan for 140 beds.
The current jail was constructed with 46 beds when it opened in 1981, and bunks could be added to expand the capacity to 92. According to Kunkel, the facility can currently accommodate 65 beds.
That is really a figure that we have set internally because, given the space footage and personnel we have, that is essentially our goal demographic for this building. Additionally, as we surpass that figure, more people are crammed into smaller areas, leading to an increase in issues, altercations, and other disputes, Kunkel previously told The Gazette.
Including inmates imprisoned out of county and those under home arrest with electronic monitors, the county jail has averaged roughly 86 detainees each month through June 2025, according to county data. The average monthly number of prisoners was approximately 83 from 2022 and 2024.
On any given day, the number of prisoners can fluctuate greatly.
Potential bond in 2026
In November 2026, a bond issue that would finance the project if authorized would be presented to voters by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, a panel that was established last year.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors, county judges, mental health specialists and policy advocates, law enforcement from Iowa City and Johnson County, Johnson County citizens, and other criminal justice specialists comprise the group.
Voters would need to approve a joint county/city project referendum with 50 percent of the vote, compared to 60 percent if the county introduced a bond alone.
The construction bid is probably not going to be released until mid-2027 if the bond is approved. Assuming that construction timetable, the feasibility study estimated the cost at $106 million. A facility’s construction would probably take another two to three years once the ground is broken.
In 2012 and 2013, the county attempted to use bond referendums to fund jail upgrades. Voters approved both initiatives with over 50 percent of the vote, but they were unable to succeed since 60 percent was required.
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