The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Johnson County officials discuss need of new courthouse and jail

Johnson County officials say there is an urgent need for new county facilities.

County officials say the county needs a new jail and courthouse, and the Johnson County Board of Supervisors is discussing a solution.

The supervisors have made two proposals for a new facility, but local voters haven’t backed either with the necessary super-majority, 60 percent of the vote.

The second proposal, which was voted on in May, received 54 percent of the vote.

At a Thursday morning meeting of the supervisors, 6th District Chief Judge Patrick Grady said the Johnson County Courthouse is unacceptable.

“The caseload [of the county] has grown exponentially,” he said.

He said despite the increase in caseload, the courthouse has remained the same — something one other county in Iowa with a similar population has improved upon.

“The major problem is, by way of comparison, the Black Hawk County Courthouse has 14 courtrooms; we have six,” Grady said.

In addition to the lack of courtrooms, security is a serious problem at the Courthouse, Grady said. Currently the entrance to the courthouse has no metal detector, which, he said, is a serious security problem.

The lack of a new courthouse is depriving an important service to the people of Johnson County, Supervisor Rod Sullivan said.

“Justice delayed can be justice denied,” Sullivan said.

The lack of a new jail is also an issue, Grady said, and an expensive one.

“Even if we cut the jail population by 20 percent, we’d still be shipping out over $950,000 a year to housing inmates in other counties,” he said.

A decision for how to address these issues has yet to be reached, and the supervisors seeks public input to help make a decision, according to a Thursday press release. There will be a public input meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 7 in Courtroom 3A at the Courthouse.

— by Daniel Seidl

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