Dallas County voters have again rejected a referendum allowing the county to issue bonds to build a new courthouse.

Nearly 57% of voters opposed the measure while 43% supported it, according to unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State's office.

The measure required 60% approval to pass.

The 78,000-square-foot criminal courthouse would have cost $60.3 million to build. Voters also rejected an identical proposal in 2024 that would have cost $56.9 million. The project's cost has risen over the last year due to inflation.

Voters opposed the project by a wider margin this year compared to last year, when 51% of voters rejected the proposal.

The Dallas County Board of Supervisors placed the referendum on the ballot hoping that a new courthouse would help accommodate a rising nu

See Full Page