Local dignitaries attended a VIP open house on Wednesday for the newly constructed Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center, where Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird praised the state-of-the-art facility.
“It's not just a building. It stands as a testament to your support for law enforcement, for public safety, for looking out for victims of crime and for making sure that the rule of law is respected and followed,” Bird said.
Going from our current facility to this facility is like walking into a whole new world.Chad Sheehan, Woodbury County Sheriff
In 2020, voters approved spending $50.3 million on a new jail, sheriff's headquarters, offices and courtrooms to replace a facility officials say was overcrowded and unsafe. When the county built the old jail in the 1980s, it had room for 80 inmates — today, there are 230.
“My chief deputy said that going from our current facility to this facility is like walking into a whole new world — and it really is,” Sheriff Chad Sheehan said. “Just the extra room and the size of things is less stressful on the inmates, and less stress on the inmates is less stress on our staff, which keeps everybody safer."
Project plagued by problems
There's been a lot of hiccups and obstacles with this project, but in 50 years, people aren't going to remember.Matthew Ung, Woodbury County Board of Supervisors Chairman
The new LEC's price rose to about $70 million due to higher costs and construction issues. The county is looking at taking legal action against some of the companies involved.
“It's really a time for our community and our taxpayers to rally behind the elected leaders that are going to pursue claims against different entities on behalf of the taxpayers to recover damages for design and construction errors in this project,” Matthew Ung, chairman of the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors said.
Ung has been part of the process of building the new facility since he was first elected almost a decade ago.
“Well, everyone knows there's been a lot of hiccups and obstacles with this project, but in 50 years people aren't going to remember that it was a year or two too late,” Ung said. “They're not going to remember the protesters that drove from across the state. They're going to remember that this project is, at the end of the day, a tax-neutral project.”
Federal inmates are expected to cover the cost
Officials said housing federal inmates will eventually pay for the multimillion-dollar complex that includes the headquarters for the sheriff’s office and criminal courtrooms.
Sheehan recently renegotiated a deal with the Federal Marshals Service to pay $100 a day per bed. The new jail has room for at least 450 inmates and pretrial detainees.
“Like most people all around the country in law enforcement, they're looking for space to house inmates,” Sheehan said. “The Marshal Services is always looking, not just authorities in Iowa, but in Nebraska and South Dakota, and even as far as North Dakota are looking at utilizing our facility.”
Other funding — $15 million — came from federal dollars in the American Rescue Plan made available to communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think it was a very wise use of those funds because a lot of the overages had to do directly with all of the costs as a result of COVID,” Sheehan added. “I understand and can relate to the public's frustrations. I'm also a taxpayer and don't want my tax dollars wasted. What I would remind people is that the Board of Supervisors has been very diligent over the last decade and has not raised the tax levy."
Sheehan admitted it will take the staff a little time to adjust to all the technology and security measures built into the building. He said there is a misconception about the whole project.
“We did not build a Taj Mahal for inmates,” Sheehan said. “But we do want to make sure they're safe because most of our inmates are pre-conviction. They're pretrial, and they're considered innocent until proven guilty. And, if they are convicted, it's also our obligation to keep them safe while they're here.”
