Local News Coverage of New Johnson County Sheriff's Office and Jail Project
The articles below provide a non-exhaustive timeline of local news coverage for the discussion, planning, and public involvement of the new Johnson County Sheriff's Office and Jail project.
5.22.26 "Sheriff and Supervisors Clash as Jail Plan Nears November Ballot"
5.13.26 “Johnson County’s Bond Requests Could Hit Nearly $200 Million”
- 5.7.26 “JoCo Supervisors Discuss New Jail as Primaries, November Bond Referendum Loom”
5.6.26 “Johnson County Leaders Divided Over Tying Affordable Housing to Proposed Jail Referendum”
5.3.26 "Johnson County Jail Plan Sparks Cost and Capacity Debate"
4.23.26 “Johnson County Moves Forward on New Jail Site, Key Details Remain Confidential”
4.22.26 “Johnson County to Buy Land for New Jail, Sheriff’s Office”
4.22.26 “Johnson County Supervisors Against Building Jail at Historic Poor Farm”
4.21.26 “Johnson County Supervisors Compare Two Sites for New Jail”
4.21.26 “Johnson County Spending $3.2 Million Jail on ‘Band-Aid’”
1.9.26 “A Jail, New Electoral Process and Rezoning. Iowa City Stories to Watch”
11.18.25 “Johnson County Jail Readies for $3M Renovation Despite Talks of a New Facility. What to Know”
10.22.25 “Johnson County Moves Toward $99 Million Bond Vote in 2026 for New Jail and Housing”
10.17.25 “Johnson County Appears Set to Pursue 120-Bed Jail Through $99M Bond in 2026”
10.16.25 “JoCo Supervisors Approve 120 Beds for New Jail”
10.2.25 “Johnson County Withdraws Proposal for Joint Law Enforcement Facility with Iowa City”
9.30.25 “Johnson County Halts Talks with Iowa City on Shared Jail and Police Facility”
9.24.25 “Johnson County Will Not Pursue Joint Law Enforcement Facility with Iowa City”
9.18.25 “Sheriff Brad Kunkel Drops Support for Iowa City, Johnson County Law Enforcement Facility”
9.17.25 “Johnson County Sheriff No Longer Supports Joint Facility with Iowa City”
9.17.25 “After Iowa City Gives Tepid Approval, Johnson County to Reconsider Joint Law Enforcement Facility”
9.17.25 “Iowa City Leaders Narrowly Vote to Continue Talks Over Shared Law Enforcement Facility”
9.11.25 “Iowa City, Johnson County Consider Forming Joint Law Enforcement Authority”
9.11.25 “’Joint Authority’ for Johnson Co., Iowa City Law Enforcement Facility Would Have Legal Power”
8.29.25 “Survey Says 75% of Johnson County Residents Support Ballot Measure for New Jail. What to Know”
8.20.25 “Johnson County Looks to Establish Joint Law Enforcement Authority with Iowa City”
8.20.25 “Combined County/City Jail for $106 Million Would be Built Near Iowa City Airport”
8.19.25 “More Than 74% of Johnson County Residents Support a New Jail, Survey Finds”
8.15.25 “Joint Iowa City and Johnson County Law Enforcement Facility Could Cost Over $100 Million”
8.13.25 “Combined Johnson County/Iowa City Jail Could Cost $106 Million”
6.18.25 “Johnson County Jail to Get Additional Investigative Work and Design”
5.28.25 “$80M Jail Included in Johnson County’s Capital Improvements Plan”
4.6.25 “Panel Studying Options for Joint Law Enforcement Facility Between Johnson County and Iowa City”
3.5.25 “JoCo Board of Supervisors Approves $549,000 for Sheriff’s Office Study”
2.15.25 “Johnson County Takes Next Step Toward $3.3 Million Jail Repairs”
1.23.25 “Johnson County Supervisors Look Toward Joint Law Enforcement Facility with Iowa City”
1.5.25 “Johnson County Jail Becoming ‘Money Pit’”
12.9.24 “Iowa City Police and Johnson County Sheriff’s Office to Potentially Join Forces”
11.18.24 “Johnson County and Iowa City Continue Talk of Joint Law Enforcement Facility”
11.1.24 “Johnson County Sheriff Incumbent Brad Kunkel on His Priorities, from a New Jail to Mental Health”
10.16.24 “New Johnson County Committee Will Work Toward Plan for Jail and Sheriff’s Office”
9.17.24 “Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Jail Moves Forward with Addressing Needs”
9.12.24 “Johnson County Looks into Repairing Jail and Sheriff’s Office”
7.16.24 “What’s Next for the Crowded and Aging Johnson County Jail”
7.10.24 “Iowa City Leaders in Johnson County Discussing Recent Jail Study”
7.10.24 “Future Remains Unclear for Johnson County Jail and Sheriff’s Office”
7.5.24 “Johnson County Jail Study Finds Areas of Improvement Needed”
5.31.24 “Johnson County Looking into Building a New Jail”
4.17.24 “Johnson County Jail in Dire Need of Renovations as Building Ages”
3.17.24 “News Track: Johnson County Sheriff Working on Plan for New Jail”
8.23.23 “Johnson County Sheriff: Start Planning Now for New Jail”
4.13.23 “Johnson County Will Use Facility Audit as ‘Road Map’ for Long-Term Planning”
12.16.22 “Corrections Quandary: Linn, Johnson Jails Explore Fates”