Sac County Sheriff’s Office

09/03/2026

We would like to provide a realistic estimate of the cost of housing Sac County inmates outside of the county. For this comparison, we are using Buena Vista County, which is the closest county in proximity to the Sac County Sheriff’s Office.

The numbers for Bookings (people brought into the jail), Average Daily Population (ADP), and medical/prescription costs come directly from our monthly reporting statistics submitted to the Iowa Department of Corrections and averaged of the last 3 budget years.

Below, we have included an example of what these monthly reports look like and where the information used in these calculations comes from.

The transportation costs are also calculated using normal deputy wages. This estimate does not include overtime rates, increased maintenance and wear on vehicles, or additional trips that may be required for medical appointments, court appearances, or transportation to prison once an inmate is sentenced. These additional costs could make the actual expense significantly higher.

We have also included an informational sheet explaining what would happen if we close our jail and housed all of our inmates outside of Sac County.

Lastly, we have included the 2026 tax impact for residential, commercial, and agricultural property values. We want to clearly disclose and clarify that the yearly tax impact shown is based on the current property values and would not increase over the life of the bond simply because your property value increases after the bond is passed.

09/03/2026

08/26/2026

The Sac County Sheriff’s Office has received a lot of questions and comments about renovating the existing jail facility or purchasing another building and converting it into a jail facility. While this may sound like a good idea, the reality is that the current jail facility would need to be completely overhauled, expanded, and updated to even attempt to meet modern jail standards. If any major renovation or remodel is started, under Iowa Code 201-50, the jail would then be required to meet current standards. The same would be true if another building were purchased and still needed to be renovated to meet these standards.

To help clarify this matter, we have reached out to soon-to-be-retired State Jail Inspector Delbert Longely. Delbert has a wealth of knowledge and has been very beneficial to jails throughout the state. We felt it would be best for him to explain this in his own words and provide some insight into the current situation our facility is facing.

If you have any questions, please contact our office or attend one of our upcoming jail tours. If there are questions we cannot answer, or if you would like more insight from Delbert, please send us your questions and we will get his response.

Thank you, and we hope to see you at the first Jail Tour tomorrow night at 7:00 PM!

08/24/2026

Why Does Our Jail Need to be Updated (Part 2)

HVAC, Heating, and Air Conditioning

Photos below show the current heating and cooling systems in our facility. In the photos, you will see box fans placed inside cells while being plugged in outside of the cell. This is due to the lack of proper heating and cooling. Cords are run underneath doorways and plugged into outlets inside the housing units, which were previously used as the Sheriff of Sac County’s residence. This is done to provide inmates with air movement required to comply with Iowa Code. This setup is largely unsafe due to inmates having access to the internal parts of the fans, electrical cords that could be used to injure inmates or staff, and electrical outlets.

At our most recent jail inspection, our Female Unit was deemed to be in violation of code 201-50.4 (3). The unit was too hot, even though we were providing the necessary fans and ice water required by Iowa Code. Due to this, the State Jail Inspector required us to close down this unit until it had cooled off or we could properly control the temperature in this housing unit.

Secondly, you will see a large number of window-mounted air conditioning units. These units have to be used to keep staff working conditions cool. These air conditioners run constantly because of the lack of a full cooling system in our outdated facility.

Lastly, you will see our outdated boiler. This boiler has struggled to provide consistent heat. The boiler is aging and, over the last year, has required several repairs to keep it running.

Similar to our last post, you will see photos from the now Pocahontas County Jail. These photos show what the updated facility proposed will look like.

Reminder we will be having our first Jail Tour and New Jail Proposal presentation this Wednesday, August 26th, 2026 at 7:00PM at the Sac County Law Enforcement Center. We will also be having an additional Jail Tour and Presentation this Saturday, August 29th, 2026 at 3:00PM at the same location. We look forward to seeing you there!

08/22/2026

Join us next Wednesday August 26th between 7-8pm to walk through the Sac County Jail. See the current conditions of the oldest jail currently in use in Iowa. Staff will be available to answer questions.

08/20/2026

Why Does Our Jail Need to Be Updated? (Part 1)

Plumbing

The photos below show several plumbing and safety issues in our current Sac County Jail.

The first photo shows repairs to the kitchen ceiling caused by leaks from the female unit shower above. This shower frequently leaks, requiring extra towels to keep water from pooling on the floor. The female unit toilet is also outdated and has required several repairs in the past six months. A toilet leak also caused part of the ceiling to fall in an area used for food storage.

The second photo shows the plumbing and sink between the female and center units. This is also a narrow walkway used by staff to enter the female unit. Because of the limited space and lack of storage, items such as a phone and fire extinguisher are located in this area and could potentially be used as weapons.

The final photos show exposed plumbing in the main cell unit. Inmates can access the shower plumbing overhead and the plumbing behind the toilets. While additional bars have been installed for protection, the plumbing can still be reached and potentially damaged.

These are issues that would be addressed in a modern jail. The proposed facility is similar to the new Pocahontas County Jail, which opened in 2025 and was built with the expertise of Midwest Construction Consultants, who are also overseeing our proposed project.

08/15/2026

The Sac County Sheriff’s Office would like to inform everyone about the upcoming bond measure on November 3, 2026, for the proposed new Sac County Jail.

We have listened to public feedback from the previous two attempts and have put forth a significant effort to propose the most economical and efficient plan to meet the needs of our facility and the citizens of Sac County.

We are no longer proposing a two-phase project consisting of a new jail, along with an addition and remodel of the Sac County Sheriff’s Office. This year’s proposal consists of a new jail, a combined control center and communications center located inside the jail, as well as remodeling the existing Sally Port to meet our evidence storage needs.

The proposed total cost of this bond measure is $10.8 million. This is reduced from the $12.5 million proposed the previous year. With the support of our Board of Supervisors, $800,000 will be allocated over the next two budget years, bringing the total amount financed through the bond down to a flat $10 million.

Below, you will see a photo of the tax impact statement for the life of the bond measure over the next 20 years. This tax impact statement falls under the current levy rate and shows the estimated monthly and yearly tax impacts for residential, commercial, and agricultural property.

Also included below are the proposed designs, showing the changes from last year’s proposal to this year’s proposal.

Our proposed new facility is structurally very similar to the new jail recently completed in Pocahontas County.

Over the next few weeks, we will be making additional posts explaining why we need a new jail and what a new facility, such as the Pocahontas County Jail, will look like. Soon, we will also be hosting open houses for the public to see our existing facility. These dates are still TBD at this time.

We appreciate the continued feedback and support from the citizens of Sac County and look forward to providing more information about this proposal in the coming weeks.

If you, a group, or a community organization would like additional information or would like us to come and present this information, please contact the Sac County Sheriff’s Office.

We would be happy to answer questions or provide a presentation to help explain the proposed bond measure and the need for a new jail.

You can contact the Sheriff’s Office in person, by phone at 712-662-7127, or by email at [email protected].