Supervisors consider $63,800 amendment for joint feasibility study of shared sheriff, Iowa City police facility

Johnson County staff and consultant Michael Lewis of Shive-Hattery presented a proposed amendment to an agreement for a joint feasibility study looking at potential shared facilities for the Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa City Police Department.

Ed Bartels, Johnson County engineer, told supervisors the pledge to participate is largely a formality needed to access federal funds tied to the county safety action plan; later he introduced the study item. Michael Lewis described the process Shive-Hattery has proposed: discovery and planning meetings with the city and county, two verification meetings (one virtual), community forum meetings, and limited site due diligence. Lewis said the consultant has reviewed prior city materials, including a 2012 survey and five geotechnical borings, and expects no additional borings will be required though that may be revisited.

Supervisors asked how community input will be incorporated. Lewis and others described four planned presentation/work sessions in the agreement as opportunities for public input but said the exact format could be tailored during the process. Several supervisors pressed for clarity that the consultant’s deliverable be a program/overlap report—not a final building design—and asked that the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC) be explicitly included as a venue for review.

County Attorney Rachel Zimmerman Smith said the city’s legal department plans a side agreement to the contract, and that the city intends to cost-share 50/50. The board was told the amendment will be on the formal agenda for consideration next week; supervisors also discussed scheduling a timeline meeting with Shive-Hattery and noted the consultant was invited to the CJCC meeting on Feb. 13.

No formal vote on the amendment occurred during the work session; staff said the item would be scheduled for a formal vote at the next meeting.