New Combined Justice Center Might Split Up

By Jami Brinton, Reporter

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By Jami Brinton

Story Created: Jul 2, 2009 at 4:15 PM CST

Story Updated: Jul 2, 2009 at 4:16 PM CST

IOWA CITY - For six years, Johnson County has pushed for a justice center that houses both a jail and a courthouse.

Now, some in the county say maybe those services should remain separate to save money.

"As one of my colleagues said, "I thought we had a decision but now we're revisiting it," said Rod Sullivan, Johnson County Supervisor. " That's a big concern."

Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek is among those who want to look seriously at transforming the Press Citizen site now up for sale into the home of a new jail.

The Sheriff wants to know if keeping the courthouse and jail separate saves money.

He's doesn't think now is the right time to ask taxpayers to finance the $60-80 million necessary to build a the combined justice center.

"We just can't do that," explained Pulkrabek. "I just don't believe we can get taxpayers to vote for an 80 million dollar bond issue."

Others argue delaying the project won't make the public happy either.

"I think the community's a little tired of the discussion," said Sullivan. "They'd like to have a decision made and move forward.

The county will begin a new study to analyze how much it would cost to build the courthouse and jail separately within the next week.

They'll use the results to weigh cost of the different options and compare that with what the county can afford as it tries to meet its long-term public safety needs.

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