FORT DODGE, Iowa — On Election Day, residents in Webster County voted against a referendum to build a new sheriff's department and jail.
Local 5 spoke with residents on Wednesday in Fort Dodge, and they cited "taxpayer dollars" as the reason for they voted against the measure.
Now, the county will have to continue for the next few years with their 41-year-old jail and sheriff's department building, which Sheriff Luke Fleener says they've outgrown.
Aside from having too many inmates in custody, the city of Fort Dodge also says the jail's structure continues to deteriorate as more years go by without a new facility.
"There's structural issues, when it rains or if there's a thaw after a heavy snow, rain will come through the roof," said Webster County supervisor Niki Conrad.
The current jail can hold up to 56 inmates in custody, yet the county has an average of around 70-80 inmates at one time.
Since the jail is overpopulated, Webster County has to send inmates in custody to five other sheriff's departments around the area.
"Some [departments] are close, some are not," Fleener said. "It's just kind of whoever has room for them and is willing to take them."
This transport has cost the county lots of money, Fleener said. Since 2022, the county has had to pay neighboring counties nearly $200,000 to house inmates. He added Webster County has budgeted more money for next year's fiscal budget.
"We are essentially renting places right now, and at some point, we the taxpayers need to decide if we want to invest in a 20-year mortgage on buying our own place to house these," Fleener said.
In terms of future plans, Fleener says the county will have to continue to send inmates to other counties, because they don't have enough space to house these people. And for a similar measure coming to ballots in the next election, Sheriff Fleener and Conrad both agree it's unlikely, but residents could see a new jail vote in future years.