Lang
9/17/25
The Iowa City city council has narrowly voted to move forward with plans for a new joint law enforcement facility.
A recent Shive-Hattery study indicates the county and city could save a combined $10.25 million by merging the facilities of the Johnson County Sheriff’s office and jail with a new Iowa City Police headquarters. The joint facility would cost an estimated $106 million to build.
The proposed facility would be built on city-owned land near the current Iowa City Transit building between Riverside Drive and the Iowa River.
The Iowa City city council voted 4-3 Tuesday night to move forward with a partnership with the county to plan the new facility. Councilors Laura Bergus, Oliver Weilein, and Mazahir Salih were the “no” votes, arguing that supporters are using the merger to trigger a loophole in state law that only requires 50% approval from the public, whereas a proposal for a new jail alone would require the usual 60%.
The Shive-Hattery survey shows 74% of respondents would support building a new joint facility. That number went up to 80% as more information was given about the proposal.
The supervisors hope to put a bond issue to pay for the new jail on the November 2026 ballot. The plan would only involve merging the facilities of the two agencies, not merging the agencies themselves.