Iowa City, Johnson County Officials Review Feasibility Study for Joint Law‑Enforcement Facility and Authority

At a joint meeting of the City of Iowa City Council and the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, county and city staff reviewed a feasibility study for a proposed joint law‑enforcement facility that would combine separate police and sheriff spaces and include a new jail. County and city officials emphasized the study is a starting point for discussions about site, scope, governance and financing ahead of a possible bond question on the ballot.

The study presented by Michael Lewis of Shive Hattery and supporting materials from OPN estimate a 138,000‑square‑foot total project, including a 140‑bed jail and 77,000 square feet of joint law‑enforcement space. Lewis summarized the programmatic analysis and said the joint law‑enforcement portion “ended up being 70,000 square feet of space, compared to the separate numbers that were 16,000 larger,” and that the combined plan produced an estimated $10,250,000 in savings compared with two standalone projects.

Why this matters: the county is budgeting for building repairs and has been studying facilities needs since the early 2010s; any construction would likely require voter approval and long‑term financing. Ryan Moss, assistant county attorney, told the bodies the legal vehicle commonly used in Iowa for shared capital projects is authorized by state statute (Iowa Code section 346.27) and would create an independent, three‑member joint authority that could own the building and issue revenue bonds.

Study findings and cost estimates

Jeff Pruett, city manager for Iowa City, described the city’s space‑needs work: the Iowa City Police Department currently occupies about 14,000 square feet downtown and the city’s space study recommended roughly 40,000 square feet to meet current and future needs, with a 2024 baseline estimate of about $32 million for that police facility. County presenters described a 2024 county space study that identified a 101,000‑square‑foot building to house a 140‑bed jail plus sheriff operations.

Michael Lewis reviewed a candidate Riverside Drive site and the cost estimate. He said the total project cost in the packet is about $106,000,000 and that construction costs…