Iowa City Council votes 4-3 to pursue joint law enforcement facility with Johnson County

The Iowa City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday to direct city staff to work with Johnson County on draft articles of incorporation for a joint law enforcement authority that could build a shared facility for the Iowa City Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. Councilors who supported the move said the partnership could reduce upfront construction costs for a new police facility; opponents warned it could cede control over policy, culture and site selection.

The motion to pursue the partnership was moved by Councilor Saleh and seconded by Councilor Moe. After discussion the measure passed on a 4-3 roll call: Councilors Harmsen, Moe, Teague and Alter voted yes; Councilors Weiland, Bergus and Sala voted no.

City Manager Jeff Roan told the council the city’s space-needs work shows the police department occupies about “14,000 square feet” and that a modern replacement would need roughly 40,000 square feet. Roan summarized the consultant estimates presented at an earlier work session:…