County will consider going solo on new jail

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Floyd County may take the next step Tuesday in proceeding with a new county jail and law enforcement center on its own without city participation.

The Charles City Council last week officially ended its involvement in a joint jail and law enforcement center (LEC) project, citing the higher costs of participating in building a new facility versus remodeling existing city facilities.

“At the end of the day it was dollars and cents,” said Supervisor Linda Tjaden of the city’s decision. “They would have liked to see it proceed, but it was the dollars.”

The Floyd County Board of Supervisors spent much of its workshop session Monday morning talking about the situation, including a video chat with representatives of Prochaska & Associates, a planning and architectural consultant from Omaha that has been working with the county and the city.

On the agenda Tuesday will be deciding whether to sign a $15,000 letter of agreement with Prochaska for the next step in development with Floyd County.

Prochaska would help “determine the most feasible and cost effective solution to the current LEC’s space and functional shortcomings, shortage of jail beds and compliance issues with the Iowa Department of Corrections.”

In April 2014, a state jail inspector identified deficiencies and potential problems with the Floyd County Jail, but he stopped short of saying the problems would require him to close the jail. He did say the county needed to make decisions on what its jail situation will be in the next 10 to 20 years.

The options to be evaluated by Prochaska are building a law enforcement center west of the existing courthouse, or closing the jail, building a short-term holding facility and transporting all inmates to facilities in other counties.

The Part 2 study would also look at options for using space vacated by the Sheriff’s Department and jail in the courthouse.

Floyd County Auditor Gloria Carr said the study should also look at other courthouse projects that need attention, including work on the heating and air-conditioning system, window replacements, a more presentable public entrance and other infrastructure needs.

Curt Field, an architect and project manager with Prochaska, said Monday it would be still possible to come up with a plan for a county-only law enforcement center in time for a bond referendum to be on the ballot in November, but the consultant would work with whatever timetable the county wanted, including delaying a vote if more courthouse work needs to be included.

Field presented a slide show outlining the process for passing a bond referendum, with the keys being setting up a citizens committee to back the project and boost it in the community and letting people see the current jail conditions.

Supervisor Mark Kuhn wondered if it was premature to be talking about how to pass a bond referendum before a decision had been made whether a new facility will be built.

Field said both options would be presented with related 20-year costs for building a new LEC or transporting inmates to other jails in other counties. Floyd County will make the choice which way to go, he said.

FEH Associates Inc., a consulting firm that did a similar study in 2015, recommended the county and the city pursue a partnership to develop a joint LEC and jail. At that time it estimated a joint facility would cost $9 million. Combined capital and operating costs over 20 years would total $19.21 million.

The option to renovate the sheriff’s office without a new jail and to send inmates to Mitchell County would cost $13.66 million over 20 years, the FEH estimate showed.

Field said much of Prochaska’s estimates up to now had been based on the FEH numbers, but they would want to do a similar cost comparison on their own to provide the latest information.

Also at the workshop meeting Monday, the supervisors:

• Received a report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources regarding a complaint by Jeff and Gail Schwartzkopf that a hog barn on the Candon Finisher Farm at 1649 Jersey Ave. in Rudd was located too close to wells on the adjoining Steven Frost property.

The DNR determined the only well it could find on the Frost property was one abandoned well near a trailer home. Based on conversations with the property owner, the DNR determined the well was a deep well, which state laws only requires be located more than 100 feet from a livestock confinement barn. The barn is 141 feet from the unused well.

The DNR recommended the county work with the property owner to properly plug or protect the well.

• Discussed whether the county nuisance ordinance could be used in the situation at 1649 Jersey Ave.  
• Discussed updates to the Floyd County Employee Handbook concerning employee complaint resolution procedure, use of workplace technology, use of cellphones, social media and vehicle operations. Action could be taken on the changes at the regular meeting Tuesday.