Sibley, Iowa — Osceola County voters approved a five-million-dollar bond issue for the addition and remodeling of the Osceola County Jail in Sibley in November 2023 — over a year ago.
Osceola County Sheriff Kevin Wollmuth says there have been some money issues since then.
So, he says, they’ve made some changes.
Wollmuth says he’s not sure if they’ll get down to the amount of the bond, but that’s the goal.
The Sheriff says from the beginning, they were all about making the building more accessible, more secure, and safer.
He says that at this point, the only way they can check inmate safety is via cameras.
He says the leftover area is going to be converted into offices and storage. At this point, there are only three offices — the sheriff, the chief deputy — and everyone else. And that’s pretty crowded. He tells us the initial plans were to tear down the 1907 building and put a driveway for the courthouse there. But that may have to wait now, due to lack of funds.
The new building will run to the south of the current building and parallel with the courthouse, says the sheriff. He says that was the recommendation of one of the members of the Board of Supervisors, so that they wouldn’t have to house inmates in other counties while the building is built.
Wollmuth says the new facility may even help with deputy recruitment.
He says that if all goes well, they hope to start as early as this March, and have the project complete by the second or third quarter of 2026.
Sheriff Wollmuth made his comments last week on the KIWA Talk of the Town Program, which can be heard on weekday mornings at 8:30 on KIWA-FM 105.3. We also post a podcast of every Talk of The Town Program, and you can find those by clicking here.
