The Johnson County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on April 15 for the fiscal year 2027 proposed budget for the county, which drew criticisms from community members on the budget’s spending allocations. 

During the public comment section of the budget hearing, six community members voiced their disapproval of the proposed budget and its “excessive” financial allocation toward the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department and the county jail following the deaths of two inmates in the last two years. 

The proposed budget includes a $3,297,002 increase in the county’s public safety and legal services budget category, which includes spending for the county jail and sheriff’s department, reaching a total of $44,418,883 for fiscal year 2027.

One of the six attendees who criticized the proposal was Iowa City resident Lisa Martincik, who demanded greater transparency and public reporting for county attorneys and county sheriffs, as well as a salary freeze for high-ranking positions such as those two.

“As we’ve heard today, more than once, two people, human beings, residents, have died at the county jail,” Martincik said. 

One of the people who died in the county jail was Nathaniel Davis Jr., who died on March 19, 2024. Davis was serving a seven-day sentence for drunk driving starting on March 10, 2024. On March 14, 2024, he had a medical emergency while in the county jail and was taken to the University of Iowa Hospital, where he died.

RELATED: Investigation launched after JoCo jail inmate found dead in cell

According to court documents, two years later, on April 10, 2026, Teonta Williams-Neely, the administrator of Davis’ estate, brought a civil rights lawsuit against Johnson County, the state of Iowa, University of Iowa Health Care, Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel, and others.

In March 2026, the Johnson County jail launched an investigation after another inmate was found dead on March 11. 

Despite often hearing about crime on the news, Martincik said residents are unaware of what happens in the county jail or who’s in the jail.

Martincik questioned whether a 7 percent salary increase, as part of the proposed budget, would lead to greater transparency from the sheriff’s department.

“Throwing money at problems with no accountability or dedication to change is like dealing with water waste pollution by building infinite water treatment plants instead of examining and addressing the sources and causes of pollution,” Martincik said. “And we know about that in Iowa.”

Martincik called on the board to use its power to amend the budget to have more transparency and accountability for the sheriff’s department and county jail.

Jon Green, chairperson of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, denied The Daily Iowan’s inquiry for comment on criticisms from community members, citing the pending litigation. 

“Anytime anyone has an adverse experience in the jail, I find it concerning,” Green said. “However, because there is ongoing litigation, I can’t speak anymore to the particular case that we heard about this evening.”

Also in attendance to speak on the proposed budget during the public comment section was Miguel Torres, a community organizer for Escucha Mi Voz and a North Liberty resident.

Torres advocated for the board to amend its fiscal year 2027 budget to include $300,000 for immigration legal services and removal defense, know your rights education in a rapid response hotline, family stabilization support during detention or deportation, and wage theft recovery and worker protections.

“Now one in 10 residents in Johnson County is foreign-born, which comes out to about 15,000 residents,” Torres said. “Government assistance already rarely reaches many immigrants because of barriers to qualifying.”

According to census data, 9.8 percent of Johnson County’s 160,080 estimated population are foreign-born individuals. 

Torres passed out packets to the board outlining different support systems the government offers and what status an immigrant needs to qualify for them.

“At a time when an authoritarian federal government is attempting to cut crucial lifeboats, to keep immigrant families afloat, the Johnson County government has the opportunity to be a partner and a leader in the struggle,” Torres said.

With less than a week until the unofficial budget approval on April 22, Green said it’s too late to add anything to the proposed budget and wished Escucha Mi Voz had reached out sooner. 

“I imagine my colleagues will work with those folks to try and come up with something in the future,” Green said.