Woodbury jail debacle shows Iowa what not to do

There’s a whole Iowa county “jailed.” The Woodbury County jail construction debacle spanning 13 years is riddled with secrecy, mistakes, and lack of supervision leaving county taxpayers wondering how they’ll escape a huge tax burden.

It’s a cautionary tale for other unsuspecting cities and towns.

In 2011, the 24-year-old county jail was starting to crumble. All the vital parts of the structure were wearing out and it needed attention. But the wheels of county government grind slowly, and it wasn’t until 2013 that county supervisors requested estimates to improve the antiquated security system.

After all, the county couldn’t let prisoners walk out the door because of 1987 technology. The estimated cost was $1.2 million for a security update. That’s a big number, when local politicians crave campaigning on cutting taxes.

Unfortunately, like most home improvement projects, the price tag soared.

A lot of other things needed upgrading and the retrofitting price increased to about $22 million.

Instead, why not build a brand-new jail at a new location and the county could let the federal government pay part of the tab while housing its prisoners? The local construction unions backed the project believing local workers would get good paying jobs.

In 2019, it seemed logical, even clever. But like all big ideas, the devil was in the details. At the same time, the federal government was changing the sentencing guidelines and reducing jail time. It also was obvious the only way to afford a $43 million new jail price tag was to pass a large bond issue raising property taxes.

Living in Woodbury County, there’s one thing I know about raising property taxes. Trying to pass a bond issue with 60% approval is comparable to me winning a marathon. It might happen, but probably not.

There had to be another way. Instead of the county trying to pass a bond issue requiring 60%, leaders decided to use a little-known Iowa law allowing joint public authorities to issue bonds with a 50% vote from the public.

So, Sioux City and Woodbury County created the Woodbury County Jail Authority, and a new governing board was born to oversee construction and own the jail. The voters narrowly approved the jail bond issue. Thanks to organized labor campaigning.

But again, those pesky details got in the way.

The law limits bonding authority of joint entities to $50 million. It still worked although the price had risen to $49 million.

The $49 million began to soar with the lowest bid, from a company in Lincoln, Nebraska, coming in at $58.4 million. But that company refused to complete the “Responsible Contractor Questionnaire,” provided by organized labor to ensure quality construction. The company could have been forced to comply or be rejected. It wasn’t. COVID-19 hit.

There were delays in the supply chain, increased prices, multiple change orders, and numerous mistakes.

To cover the increased costs, the city and county voted to use $20 million of COVID-19 relief funds. There were loud protests met with silence.

The cost soared to $70 million. The original opening date for the jail was September 14, 2023. That date evaporated and April 4, 2024, was announced as the new date. There was a flood. That date is history. The new goal is to open mid-May, but many believe July is more realistic.

How did this happen?

There was a thick veil of secrecy. The Authority wouldn’t allow the public or press near the project without a 10-hour safety training course and permission from the sheriff. No filming or photos allowed.

It was a public project without public scrutiny.

It’s a cautionary tale for other counties who want to escape being jailed.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City. He has been connected to public schools for 38 years. He taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association regional director for 27 years until retiring. Contact: bruceLear2419@gmail.com.