IOWA CITY

Johnson County voters slammed the door Tuesday on a proposed new jail that would cost nearly $100 million.

Needing a 60% approval rate on Election Day for a $94.5 million sheriff’s office and county jail, the bond referendum failed to reach even 50%. The referendum was voted down 37,358 to 32,232.

Three other referendums in Johnson County were approved by voters: A $6.9 million bond for a new HVAC system and facility improvements at Lone Tree Schools, a $5.1 million bond for a new fire station and City Hall in Hills, and an $88 million bond for facility improvements and additions at Kirkwood Community College.

Jon Green, a former Lone Tree Mayor, won reelection as a Johnson County Supervisor in District 2 and Sue Dvorsky, a former Iowa Democratic Party Chair, won election as a Johnson County Supervisor in District 3, a district that includes rural areas in the southwest portion of the county.

Dvorsky will be the only new supervisor on the board and will take office Jan. 1, 2027.

Green, Lisa Green-Douglass, V Fixmer-Oraiz and Mandi Remington all won reelection bids in Johnson County’s new district system.

Among the biggest issues facing the Board will be another failure of a Johnson County jail referendum. The county had finalized a property purchase near the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm, which had been targeted as the location for a new jail. Hundreds of thousands of dollars had been spent on assessments and early designs.

The current sheriff’s office and jail, which is located in downtown Iowa City, is nearly 50 years old and undergoing a $3 million roofing project. The building’s age has led to significant water leaks and other structural problems.

A projected new jail has caused a split on the Board with Supervisors Fixmer-Oraiz and Remington opposing the referendum.