IOWA CITY

The words had fire in them.

V Fixmer-Oraiz, one of five Johnson County supervisors, labeled plans for a new county jail as a plan for a “prison” at a Board of Supervisors work session last week.

One day later, the Board’s formal session had to be halted and a police officer summoned as an audience member shouted an “F” bomb four times following the Board’s 5-0 approval of the purchase of a property near the Historic Poor Farm that would be used for a new jail.

Or would it?

“I believe that it is a good purchase for Johnson County, regardless of what ends up being developed there, if anything,” said Jon Green, Johnson County Board Chair.

Designs for a new jail, covering 118,500 square feet and presented by consultants from the Iowa City-based Shive-Hattery Architecture & Engineering firm in a work session July 1, drew immediate opposition from Fixmer-Oraiz, an Iowa City resident and former head of the Historic Poor Farm on Melrose Avenue.

“The overall size of the building itself is pretty staggering,” Fixmer-Oraiz said. “It feels more like a prison than a jail when jail is really meant to be very short term. I, quite frankly, am stunned, I guess, at the scope of what is in here.”

The proposed plan for a new jail, which would be financed through a $96 million bond referendum on the election ballot in November, includes room for 120 beds, expandable to 140, along with expanded office space, a nurses’ station and medical rooms, conference rooms and a maintenance garage for police vehicles.

The current jail, located in Iowa City, has less than 40,000 square feet and is in the midst of an extensive repair project due to cracks and aging structural problems in the building.

“To have medical beds of this scale and to have a nurses station, it literally looks like a hospital,” Fixmer-Oraiz said. “Which I’m not saying is a bad thing, but I’m just saying this is the kind of investment that we’re having to do at the county level because jails have really just become a holding place for people with mental health issues.”

“The isolation aspect that happens in a jail is quite concerning,” Fixmer-Oraiz added. “Just even from an outside perspective, to see that further isolation is …. disturbing.”

Jail discussion went nearly two hours in the Board’s work session July 1 and also dominated public comment the next day, a session that included appearances by District 3 (Southwest Johnson County, Coralville, Tiffin) Supervisor candidate Sue Dvorsky, City of Iowa City City Councilperson Laura Bergus, and Bill Waldie and Leslie Carpenter, members of the Johnson County Criminal Justice Coordination Committee.

Public opinion was split, and opinions among the five county supervisors seemed split, as well.

Fixmer-Oraiz said not enough public input was used or sought after, a point that drew disagreement from some and also agreement from some.

“We have totally failed,” Fixmer-Oraiz said.

County Sheriff Brad Kunkel said the size of the new structure includes space for a growing police department and jail at a time when Johnson County’s population is growing.

“We have no idea what we’re going to need for spaces in the future,” Kunkel said. “We have to think about what this county looks like 50 years from now because we are living through the decisions that were made 50 years ago.”

“I think we need to be talking about a 100-year window on anything we build,” Supervisor Rod Sullivan said.

The price of the property for the proposed jail was not disclosed due to the chance of a higher price, if it went public, Green said.

The contract calls for $60,000 per acre.

Speed Zones

When the first of July hit last week, 60 mph signs popped up on rural roads quickly across the state, per new Iowa code.

But not all roads will remain that way, including some rural highways in Johnson County. While the Iowa Department of Transportation maintains control over state highways, counties control county roads.

Oak Crest Hill Road, which is north of Hills and feeds into the Riverside and Highway 218 interchange just south of Iowa City, is one of two Johnson County roads that have 55 mph speed limits due to previously approved county resolutions.

Among the unposted roads that Johnson County officials plan to look at closely are the Orville Yoder Turnpike north of Frytown, and Utah and Wapsie Avenues north of Lone Tree.

“You’ve got the Amish community walking, biking, buggies on the road,” Sheriff Brad Kunkel said of the Frytown area. “And now we’re bumping up the speed, so I’ve got serious concerns about the southwest part of the county.”

“It’s not as simple as just swapping some signs or posting some decals up on some signs,” said Paul Wittau, Johnson County Engineer. “It touches on a lot of different factors.”

Fireworks, or not?

Andy Neuzil, a professional fireworks shooter from Hills, found himself in the midst of a fireworks controversy last week.

Neuzil’s appeal to a fireworks permit denial was blocked by Josh Busard, Director, Planning, Development and Sustainability Department, and then halted by the Board of Supervisors during its July 2 formal session. At issue was the close distance of a building for an annual fireworks display (July 18) that was scheduled for Pine Ridge Trail NE in a rural area northeast of Iowa City.

After a discussion with Busard and Board members at the formal session, an alternative site was agreed on and Neuzil was instructed to re-apply for the permit using the new shooting site.

Johnson County adopted a new set of fireworks ordinance codes in 2025, setting required distances for structures and shooting locations.

Board Action

The Board approved a reimbursement agreement for judicial hospitalization referees with the State of Iowa Judicial Branch.

The Board approved an amendment to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) subrecipient agreement with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) for housing rehabilitation and emergency home repair services.

Next Meeting

The next formal session is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. July 9. This is the monthly evening session for rezoning and platting applications and public hearings.