SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 13, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 9/17/26
In this edition:
*Democrats Fall BBQ
*Happy 25th Iowa City Scrabble Club!
*Jail Financing
*Consequential – Conservation Bonds
*Salvos Salutes – 2019
*Did You Know?
*Democrats Fall BBQ
Please join us at the Johnson County Democratic Party Annual Fall BBQ! The event is Sunday, October 4 from 4:30-8 at the Celebration Farm out on Highway 1 north of Iowa City. The keynote should be great, as former US Senator Tom Harkin will be giving the talk!
Tickets are $50 individual, $95 couple, $115 families. Sponsorships are available at $150-$5000. You can get this done at jcdems.org or by sending a check to PO Box 1773 Iowa City, IA 52244.
Please join us!
*Happy 25th Iowa City Scrabble Club!
The Iowa City Scrabble Club is celebrating its 25th anniversary on Sunday, September 20th at 2 pm at the Bread Garden in Iowa City.
The Iowa City Scrabble Club meets every Sunday at 2pm at the Bread Garden during nice weather, and at the Hy Vee on 1st Avenue during colder weather. It is open to players of all skill levels.
*Jail Financing
There are many opinions out there regarding the financing of a proposed Jail and Sheriff’s Office. I am going to try to explain some of the reasoning behind the finances here. I know it will be seen as a “lie” by my detractors, but hopefully this will be helpful. Let’s do it in a question and answer format.
Why does the County have to bond?
There are two primary reasons. First, we do not have the cash. This is not unlike a family buying a home. If you have the cash, you just pay cash. No hassle, no interest. But very few people have the resources to pay cash. Similarly, very few governments have the resources to pay cash. So we borrow.
The second reason is obscure, but important. Tax Increment Financing districts (TIF) do not remit taxes to the County. The taxing district (city) that issues the TIF keeps the increment for use in the TIF district. The exception to this is what is called Debt Service (in other words, bonds). TIF districts are required to pay the County for property taxes incurred to pay bonds. There is well over a billion dollars in TIF in Johnson County. So that is a lot of landowners who would not have to pay their share and a lot of money we would miss out on if we did *not* borrow.
Why don’t you just save for it?
First, as stated above, TIFs would not have to pay. But there are additional good reasons. Let’s just say that Johnson County had tucked away $2 million per year every year since the last referendum. We would have about $25 million in savings. We would still need to bond $70 million dollars. Yes, we would pay less interest. But that means we would have had 12-13 years in which we had $2 million less in the General Fund available for services. And again, the TIF districts do not pay into those services. So why sacrifice 12-13 years’ worth of services when we need to borrow anyway?
Then we get to a place that differentiates personal finance from government finance. In your personal finance, your interest rate can go down based upon the amount of your downpayment. Municipal borrowing is a bit different, in that the government doing the borrowing gets “rated.” This rating helps to determine your interest rate. So you could have a lot of money down, but still be viewed as an entity that is not managed well financially. Or vice versa, which should be the case for Johnson County.
Additionally, there is public tolerance. We do not discuss this enough when we talk about government finance. How does the public feel? We have seen over time that the public gets uneasy when local governments build large reserves. They ask the question: “If you do not need all this money, why are you taxing me?” It is a fair question. And to respond, “We are saving for a downpayment on a building we may or may not build in 15 years,” is an unsatisfactory answer.
To some extent, we *did* save. We bought the land where the proposed facility will sit out of our reserves. If the bond passes, we can replenish those reserves from the bond proceeds. But if it fails, we still own the land. (Land in Iowa City continues to be a pretty good investment, so this does not concern me.)
Finally, I find it ironic that the same folks who want to spend down our savings each budget cycle are the folks asking why we have not saved. You cannot have it both ways.
Why don’t we instead spend $90 million on programming?
Remember, we do not actually have the $90 million. Voters have to approve it. And bonds do not allow governments to pay for programs and services. (There are a few very limited exceptions.) Bonds pay for buildings and equipment, not people.
And you should be glad about this! We do not want local governments borrowing for salaries. That is part of what happened in the ICCSD, and it needs to be avoided. Borrowing needs to be limited to one-time costs.
There are additional reasons. We are charged by code with providing a jail or paying for it elsewhere. As I have pointed out many times, France, Germany, and Scandinavian countries have spent TRILLIONS of dollars over decades on the best social services on planet earth. European Social Democracies still have jails, and their incarceration rates are not that much lower than the rates in Johnson County. Even with birth-to-death free healthcare, great schools, free childcare, guaranteed pensions, less income inequality, strict gun laws, and the like, those societies have jails. We will NEVER – and I mean NEVER – approach the level of social investments made by these European countries. Local government cannot do it. We’ll never get close. Even if we invested $90 million upstream, downstream, we are still going to need more jail beds than we have.
Why not build something smaller?
That is exactly how we got here in the first place! The Board in the late 70s decided to build a Jail and Sheriff’s Office that was not adequately sized and left no room for growth. Best practice when building municipal buildings in a growing area is to find a spot that allows for future growth, then build in a bit of extra space for near term growth. That is exactly what is proposed.
As for the argument, “Why not build it for 60 people? Or 80 people?” The answer is simple. That is too small. Imagine a family of six with a beat-up old sedan. Their car is falling apart, and they need a new one. Should they buy another vehicle that seats 5 when their family is 6 people? It is only logical to buy a car that fits your whole family.
Similarly, the jail is averaging over 90 people per day, a number that has been slowly rising. The recent peak was 123. A few days have hit 115+. So why would we build something for 60 or 80 people? We would still need to spend on transport.
What will it cost me?
We have been advised by bond counsel to show the impact of the $94.5 million bond on $100,000 assessed value. That number is $88 maximum. But you are not taxed on assessed value. You are taxed on taxable value, which includes a 44.5% rollback in FY27. That means that max of $88 per $100k becomes $39.18 per $100k. That expense would be part of the County budget for 12 years, at which time the debt is retired.
So if you own a $200,000 residential property, your cost will be $78.36.
*Consequential – Conservation Bonds
Johnson County passed a $20 million Conservation Bond in 2008, and a $30 million bond in 2024. These efforts are two of my proudest accomplishments as a County Supervisor!
I must admit, the second Bond was not that tough. Once we had done all the great projects that resulted from the ’08 Bond, we just had to tell people, “Expect more of the same,” and they were on board. But the first Conservation Bond? That was a heavy lift!
Here is the origin story: Johnson County had been doing a series of public hearings on some Planning and Zoning stuff, and I was struck how almost everyone over 50 spoke about the bits of nature that were now gone. It was a palpable loss. So I asked Conservation Director Harry Graves to lunch at the Hamburg Inn, got out a napkin, and began scribbling. I suggested that we ask voters for $10 million for Conservation. This would save those areas people felt so strongly about losing. (Later polling showed that people were just as supportive of $20m as $10m, so we went with $20m.)
Harry loved the idea, of course. But there were a lot of questions: Was this legal in Iowa? It had never been tried before. As usual, we had to go to County Attorney Janet Lyness with a big idea. Janet did the requisite research, and felt it would be legal.
Now we had to convince voters it was a good idea. We brought together cycling groups, birders, hunters, anglers, scouts, prairie ecologists, teachers, environmentalists, and more. We got the Chair of the Farm Bureau (Gerry Morgan) and the Chair of the Chamber of Commerce Board (Dick Schwab) together on the Steering Committee. Everyone worked their tails off to sell this initiative.
While Johnson County voters love their Conservation, it was not an easy lift. We said we would do bike trails. People asked where. We said we would buy up land to prevent flooding. People wanted to know where. We said we would protect unique sensitive areas. You know where this is going – people wanted to know where. But we could only give vague answers. We did not yet own the land.
The other thing that started working against us in ’08 was the US economy. As you may recall, the housing market crashed. President Bush threw up his hands, and invited the candidates (Obama and McCain) to DC to help him face the challenge. People were very concerned about the economy, and support for any new taxes was slipping.
Thankfully, voters squeezed this one through, with 60.1% of the vote! That first Conservation Bond ended up giving us Ciha Fen, phase 2 of the Dubuque Street Trail, phase 1 of the Clear Creek Trail, phase 1 of the Hoover Trail (Solon to Ely), the Mehaffey Bridge Trail, big additions to Cedar River Crossings (Sutliff), Cangleska Waukon, the Malinda Reif Reilly Fen, Two Horse Farm, and the Pechman Creek Delta.
Read that list again. The 2008 Conservation Bond completely transformed Johnson County. It has been a monumental investment in our natural environment. It also set an example for other counties to follow. Linn, Polk, and Story Counties have followed suit since we broke the ice.
The 2024 Bond has already given us phase 2 of the Clear Creek Trail, Phoebe Timber, and improvements to Kent Park. And much more is on the way!
I have always believed in the classic quote from Robert Baden Powell, the founder of the scouting movement: “Leave it better than you found it.” I feel as though I can definitely say that in terms of Johnson County’s natural environment.
*Salvos Salutes – 2019
What I wrote about some of the honorees from Salvos’s Salutes in 2019:
Clayton Schuneman: The Office of the Johnson County Medical Examiner is by far the best in the State of Iowa, and probably far beyond. There are many reasons for this, but chief among them is ME Department Director Clayton Schuneman. I do not even have the superlatives to do him justice. They simply do not come any better! This is a service that most people never think about until they realize they are using it. Rest assured that the Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Office will handle every case exactly as it should.
Jen Shearer: Bigwigs decided to put an end to the UI Labor Center. They did not anticipate the fight they got from students, faculty, and workers from across Iowa. Had they reviewed the previous work of Jennifer Shearer, they could have seen it coming. Jen is not simply a rockstar as Director of the Labor Center, but a top-notch organizer to boot. Jen is also steady progressive voice on local matters.
Janet Martin is retiring from the Johnson County 4H program after many, many years of quietly shaping our young people. Janet is one of those people that simply puts a smile on my face every time I see her. She really cares about our children, and really works hard. Congratulations, Janet!
Lynn Gallagher: Activists, regardless of the topic about which they are passionate, should follow the lead of Lynn Gallagher of rural Solon. Lynn is a vegan, and staunchly opposes any mistreatment of animals. To Lynn, this includes farming animals for meat and milk. Lynn’s activism is often met with anger and bullying, but she is undeterred. I don’t know any activists who are better prepared and have studied the issues more carefully. Just as importantly, Lynn always follows every rule to a T, and is unfailingly polite.
RaQuishia Harrington: North Liberty continues to grow at a rapid pace. When that happens, it is good to know that someone is looking out for those who growth can leave behind. North Liberty City Councilor RaQuishia Harrington is the perfect leader for this city in this moment. The more time I spend with RaQuishia, the more I realize how much we undervalue this incredible young lady. She could easily be a candidate for Governor or Congress. And probably should be.
Michelle Kenyon: The Executive Director of Field to Family, Michelle is a key mover and shaker in the local food movement. From farmers markets to the Food Hub to changes in county policy, Michelle is an important voice for local farmers and local eaters. Johnson County is at the forefront of the local food movement, and no one deserves more credit than Michelle!
As you can see, 2019 was a year full of people worthy of our admiration!
*DID YOU KNOW? Bub Culberson, the first African American to play basketball in the Big Ten (and a City High grad) was a first cousin of Lulu Merle Johnson. So was Hawkeye football legend Duke Slater!
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 11:39 AM
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