For the third consecutive year, Sac County voters have rejected a bond measure to build a new jail, despite a majority supporting the project in Tuesday’s general election.
According to unofficial election results, the $10 million bond received 2,377 votes in favor and 1,820 against, representing approximately 56.6% approval. That’s about 3.4 percentage points short of the 60% supermajority required for passage under Iowa law.
The latest defeat comes after county officials substantially reduced the project’s scope and cost in hopes of winning voter approval.
The proposed $10.8 million project would have replaced the county’s aging jail in Sac City with a single-story, 26-bed facility. The current 24-bed jail, built in 1939, would have been demolished after construction.
Unlike previous proposals, this year’s plan eliminated a major addition and renovations to the sheriff’s office, focusing instead on essential jail operations, including inmate housing, booking, dispatch and security. The Sac County Board of Supervisors also committed $800,000 in county funds, reducing the proposed bond amount to $10 million.
But the scaled-back plan still couldn’t clear the required threshold.
In 2024, voters rejected a $10.95 million proposal that received approximately 58.8% support. Last year’s $12.5 million measure received about 56.8% approval.
The repeated defeats leave county leaders confronting an increasingly difficult problem: what to do with a jail that’s nearly 90 years old and no longer meets modern correctional standards.
The existing facility is located on the second floor of a building that once also housed the sheriff’s residence. It isn’t compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and officials have raised concerns about aging infrastructure, inmate supervision and employee safety.
Sheriff Katie Stange previously identified the lack of remote-controlled cell locks and limited ability to separate inmates based on their charges or behavior as significant safety concerns. County officials have also warned that the state could eventually require the jail to close if its deficiencies aren’t addressed.
And losing the jail could come with a substantial price tag. Before the election, officials estimated that housing Sac County inmates in other counties and transporting them between facilities could cost taxpayers more than $13.5 million over the next 20 years. Stange has also warned that transporting inmates outside the county would take deputies away from local law enforcement duties.
The rejected proposal included a potential revenue source. Under an arrangement announced with neighboring Calhoun County, which doesn’t operate its own jail, Sac County expected to receive approximately $122,000 annually for housing Calhoun County inmates in the new facility. That could have generated more than $2.4 million over 20 years.
County officials had also estimated that the bond would cost the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 approximately $38.57 annually in additional property taxes — or about $3.22 per month. Despite those projections and a series of public tours highlighting the jail’s deteriorating condition, the measure once again fell short.
Storm Lake Radio attempted to contact the Sac County Sheriff’s Office by phone for comment on the failed bond measure and the county’s next steps, but had not received a response as of this morning. It remains unclear whether county officials will pursue a fourth bond referendum or explore other options to replace the aging facility.
