Lydia Gerety for The Daily Iowan:
Iowa City resident Nick Bergus explained he previously told the Board of Supervisors the jail bond would fail, and he felt that community concerns about the bond were dismissed.
“As we chart a path forward, leaders need to listen,” he said. “They need to actually hear us. They need to be transparent. We need to be honest about trade-offs. There is not one answer to this, and to present a single solution as the answer is a failure.”
North Liberty resident Daniel Mills spent time before the election door knocking to hear residents’ concerns about the proposed alternatives to a new jail. He said residents care about the conditions in the jail and the people who are being held.
“Our community does not believe there are disposable people,” [Daniel] Mills said. “The folks that are on this board also believe there are not disposable people.”
Mills said, moving forward, the board should focus on addressing policies at the jail to improve conditions for detainees.
Iowa City resident Malina Amjadi said she was excited that the bond was struck down. As the board considers future decisions, Amjadi asked them to improve current policies at the jail related to health care.
“My request is that we investigate that issue and do everything we can to make sure people currently in the jail get the care that they need,” she said.