Sac County Proposes Scaled-Back Jail Replacement To Address Longstanding Voter Budget Concerns

Sac County officials have unveiled a scaled-back plan for a new jail, cutting the previous bond request in half after two years of voter rejections.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 19, 2026, 5:50 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from KTIV

Addressing Iowa's Oldest Correctional Facility

The current Sac County Jail holds the distinction of being the oldest operating facility of its kind in Iowa, having been constructed in 1939. For the past two years, local officials have argued that the aging infrastructure no longer meets modern safety or operational standards. However, voters have consistently voiced their opposition to the project's price tag, rejecting two previous multi-million dollar bond measures intended to fund a complete replacement. This ongoing stalemate has forced a "radical transformation" of the county's approach to the project, shifting the focus from a comprehensive facility to one that addresses only the most critical structural and legal requirements.

Distinguishing Wants From Needs

Sheriff Katie Stange and the Sac County Board of Supervisors have spent the last several weeks conducting a rigorous review of blueprints and proposals alongside their project manager and architect. The primary objective of this review was to categorize every feature of the proposed jail as either a "want" or a "need." By hounding down on these distinctions, the county has narrowed its options to two or three finalized plans. Sheriff Stange noted that anything not considered a strict necessity has been removed from the current draft to ensure that taxpayer funds are utilized only for essential public safety functions.

Significant Reductions In Bond Requirements

The most notable aspect of the new proposal is the dramatic reduction in the requested bond amount. By stripping away non-essential features and re-evaluating the size of the facility, the county estimates that the new bond request will be nearly 50 percent lower than previous iterations. This "Stay in Your Lane" fiscal strategy is intended to demonstrate to the public that the Sheriff’s Office is listening to budget concerns while still fulfilling its mandate to provide a safe and legal environment for both staff and inmates. Officials hope that this scaled-back version will be more palatable to a cautious electorate that has grown wary of large-scale infrastructure spending.