IOWA CITY

The hourly rate for law-enforcement coverage in Lone Tree and Hills is expected to increase over the next five years.

Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel presented a five-year program for increased fees during the Oct. 18 work session of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors.

Kunkel told the Board that the current hourly rate of $49 charged for deputy patrols covers 83% of salaries and benefits with the county covering the rest of the cost, a gap that is widening each year. The five-year proposed plan would increase cities share to 100% by 2029. The actual hourly rates would increase to $53 next year, $57 in Fiscal Year 2026, $61 in FY27, $65 in FY28 and $69.57 in FY29.

Supervisors Lisa Green-Douglass and Rod Sullivan were among those agreeing in a May work session that the amount of funds provided by cities for deputy patrols should go up.

Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz suggested this may be a good time to increase help for mental health situations.

Kunkel said he is meeting with each city council to describe the plan, including Lone Tree and Hills, although the Board has not yet given its endorsement to the five-year program.

“This can be a significant impact on their budget,” Kunkel said.

Other cities served by the Johnson County Sheriff’s department include Tiffin, Solon, Oxford, Swisher and Shueyville. Deputies also patrol rural areas of Johnson County, including Frytown- Stringtown and other areas north of Kalona. Iowa City, North Liberty and Coralville have their own police departments.

The hourly rate went up from $47 to $49 in FY24, beginning July 1, 2023.

Lone Tree has contracted for more than $66,000 of coverage this year; Hills is at about $35,000.

The annual contracts include hourly rates and total estimated hours for patrols. Additional county tax money is used by the department to pay for cars, weapons, jail operations, training and other expenses.

“All the towns know the deal they are getting is significant and no way could they afford their own law-enforcement agency,” Kunkel said.

Kunkel also asked the Board for an increase of dedicated deputies for Tiffin, which is one of the fastest growing communities in Iowa. Tiffin does not have its own police department and this year’s contract with the county is close to $240,000.

An apology

Fixmer-Oraiz, in her closing comments at the Oct. 19 formal session, publicly apologized to Supervisor Royceann Porter and others who were harmed by comments that were made at two weeks of Board meetings from Oct. 4 to Oct. 12.

“I did not orchestrate any of the events that have unfolded,” Fixmer-Oraiz said. “That is just simply not who I am. It is heartbreaking and ironic that this unfolded in the context of re-examining our proclamation processes so that we might make people feel safer when they come to our building and accept recognition for their cultures and successes in our communities.”

Porter, who criticized Fixmer-Oraiz in the Oct. 5 formal session, was absent last week in order to attend a professional conference.

“As a Black woman, she [Porter] lives in a different America, one with a target on her back,” Fixmer-Oraiz said. “She has helped house and feed people in our community.”

While there was no public comment at the Supervisors’ two meetings last week, the talk of the town was a number of racist comments made by members of the pubic during Iowa City’s City Council meeting.

New Board Room

Beginning this week, the Board’s new meeting area for work and formal sessions is Room 203C in the Health & Human Services building.

The move is part of a large improvement project being done at the county’s campus on South Dubuque Street in Iowa City. In addition to the Supervisors’ offices and board room, a number of other offices and public counters at the administration building are being moved (some temporarily) to the HHS building.

Broadband Update

More than 4,000 homes in Johnson County, many of them located in rural areas, do not have connections to the internet.

A federal and state broadband initiative is underway to correct that.

Chris Hall, an Iowa-based representative of the U.S. Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, told the Board at its Oct. 18 meeting that a priority is to contact all of those without a broadband connection.

The Internet for All initiative, created by the Biden Administration, includes $90 billion in federal funds.

Among local companies involved in broadband expansion are Sharon Telephone and Kalona Cooperative Technology Company.

Board Action

The Board set 5:30 p.m. Nov. 9 as the monthly evening meeting for zoning and platting applications. The meeting will take place in the new Boardroom in the HHS building on South Dubuque Street.

The Board approved a grant agreement with the Iowa Dept. of Transportation Living Roadway Trust Fund, for Invasive Species Field Day in the amount of $2,500.

The Board approved a phone service agreement with Aureon.

The Board approved a number of legislative priorities, including water quality, early voting and wage theft concerns.

The Board issued a proclamation in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It was the first proclamation issued in more than a month as the Board retools its proclamation procedures.

Next meeting: The Board’s next formal session is at 9 a.m. Oct. 26.