JOHNSON COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) - Johnson County leaders are moving ahead with plans to build a new jail and sheriff’s office — agreeing on a design that includes 120 beds, with space to expand to 140 in the future.

The decision came during a special work session among the Johnson County Board of Supervisors Thursday. Sheriff Brad Kunkel had pushed for 140 beds, saying the current facility no longer meets the county’s needs.

The existing jail technically has 92 beds, but its operational capacity is only 65. That limited space has forced the county to send inmates to other jails, which Kunkel says costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

“The public is not going to support a new facility with only 100 beds given we have 92 now,” Kunkel said. “That doesn’t make sense. Then

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