Johnson County supervisors adopt resolution urging Congress to restrict DHS funding; board approves site plan and contracts

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to not provide additional funding to the Department of Homeland Security without ‘‘meaningful and significant guardrails’’ that would limit certain immigration enforcement tactics, require warrants for enforcement, prohibit funding for private detention facilities that endanger health and due process, and ensure independent investigations of alleged abuses.

The resolution, as read during the meeting, asks Congress to end border patrol deployments and other enforcement surges into cities, require warrants and bans on masked agents for immigration enforcement, restore access to bond hearings, prohibit funding for private detention facilities that jeopardize detained people, and ensure independent investigations and consequences when agents commit violence. The clerk of the board was directed to send copies of the resolution to the county’s congressional delegation.

A constituent who addressed the board during public comment, Samantha Spurgeon, urged supervisors to support the item and said, “32 people were killed by ICE or in DHS custody in 2025,” calling the incidents evidence of ‘‘unchecked violence, impunity, and abuse.’’ During the board discussion, a supervisor who described leading the local investigation into a tear-gas incident urged the county to press Congress on accountability for similar actions in other jurisdictions.

The motion to adopt the county’s resolution was moved and seconded and passed on a 5-0 roll call.

Other board actions during the meeting included routine approvals and referrals: the consent agenda (including payments totaling $1,510,648.09) was approved; the board adopted a proclamation designating February 2026 as American Heart Month and a proclamation recognizing Black History Month; the board approved a site-plan resolution for "SD 20 five-two" for Lot 2 of JoCo 380 Business Park at 1118 Anderson Avenue NW; the board awarded a contract to Peterson Contractors Inc. for a Derby Avenue SW bridge replacement (project LP-34-273-52)—the amount as spoken in the meeting was unclear in the transcript; the board approved a $110,000 professional services agreement with Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development for work at the historic Poor Farm; referred the ESF 3 annex (hazardous winter weather operational guideline) back to committee for additional work; approved a job description for a Workday specialist in IT; and adopted Amendment No. 1 to an economic development grant with Solon Community Housing for additional capital improvements.

All motions and roll-call votes reported in the transcript carried unanimously at the meeting unless otherwise noted; where the meeting recorder’s phrasing was unclear (for example a dollar amount read during the contract award), the board’s action is recorded here and the meeting minutes should be consulted for the official numeric detail.

The clerk will distribute the DHS-resolution copies to the Iowa congressional delegation as directed by the board.