Lang
9/11/25
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors and the Iowa City City Council held a joint Zoom meeting Wednesday night to discuss a proposal to merge the facilities of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa City Police Department.
A Shive-Hattery study indicates the county and city could save a combined $10.25 million with the merger. The joint facility would cost an estimated $106 million to build.
A recent survey commissioned by the board of supervisors shows 74% of respondents would support building a new jail facility. That number went up to 80% as more information was given about the proposal.
The proposed joint facility would be built on city-owned land near the current Iowa City Transit facility between Riverside Drive and the Iowa River.
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 to merge the agencies themselves.
The supervisors and councilors plan to form a joint commission next month.