IOWA CITY

Johnson County is moving ahead with plans to strengthen the structure of the county jail.

The Board of Supervisors, during its March 13 formal session, approved a professional services agreement of $283,695 with Axiom Consultants of Iowa City to go into Phase Two of a building envelope stabilization project while discussions continue about a new jail and sheriff’s office that may or may not include the Iowa City Police Department.

The services agreement with Axiom does not include construction costs for a new roof and other restoration of the current building. Once designs are finalized by Axiom, the actual construction cost is expected to top $3.5 million and be completed within one year.

The repairs will be a temporary solution for the aging building.

The jail was built more than 40 years ago, in 1981, and three bond referendums have failed, the last one in 2013 with reduced bed space. The price tag was more than $40 million more than 10 years ago; it is now approaching $80 million.

The Board previously appointed Shive-Hattery Architecture & Engineering to conduct a joint feasibility study with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa City Police Department at a cost of $63,000.

The county is also partnering with the University of Iowa’s Center for Social Science Innovation on a study that would include surveys being sent to county residents. Sheriff Brad Kunkel and other county officials want to make sure it isn’t just about the jail.

“I can’t stress this enough,” Kunkel said during the Board’s work session March 12. “This is the sheriff’s office and jail.”

“We keep saying, jail, jail,” said Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass, “and I think we need to also make sure when you’re speaking to focus groups and putting things out there, that we’re talking about a jail and the sheriff’s office. It’s more than just the jail.”

The interaction with the public may include studies with focus groups and also mailed-out surveys.

“I don’t want to waste people’s time,” Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz said. “I want to make sure that we are spending our taxpayers’ dollars accurately, trying to do the best thing. So, what are we going to get out of this and where are we headed with this?”

The studies will come at a time when talk of an $80 million jail may include the city of Iowa City and will likely wind up on an election ballot as a bond referendum.

“I’m not looking for feedback. I’m looking for input,” Supervisor Mandi Remington said. “I want to know ahead of time what the community feels and if it’s something that can’t be done, that doesn’t mean we disregard it. That means we have a conversation to explain to them why it can’t be done.”

Fed Delays

What happens when Federal payments to the county are delayed?

Jon Green, Board Chair, told The News that delays in FEMA payments have affected Johnson County Emergency Management’s ability to meet payroll.

Green told the Board he was meeting with Johnson County Finance Director Dana Aschenbrenner to solve the problem.

“Unfortunately,” he told the Board, “I don’t think this is going to be a one-off. It’s something we’re going to have to prepare for.”

Road Projects

L.L. Pelling of North Liberty and Binns & Stevens of Oskaloosa were the apparent winning bidders for the county’s 2025 roads seal coat and dust control safety programs.

Pelling bid $819,095.50 for the seal coat work of county roads, and Binns & Stevens, the only bidder, bid $339,612.50 for the dust control program over 10 miles of county roads.

The Board will formally vote on those bids Thursday.

Board Action

The Board approved a number of land-use agreements at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm.

Next meeting:

The Board’s next formal session is at 9 a.m. March 20.