The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday will discuss introducing a bill to the Legislature that would allow it to hold a sales tax election to finance the county’s jail expansion.

Counties in Kansas need legislative approval before they can conduct sales tax elections. County Administrator Craig Weinaug said the county, at this point, is only interested in keeping its options open for funding the jail expansion.

He said that if the county were to pursue a sales tax referendum, the county would need the Legislature’s approval this year.

“It protects the ability of the commission to do that,” Weinaug said. “I’m trying to give them a menu of choices.”

The county essentially has three ways to raise the money, Weinaug said. It could hold a sales tax referendum, raise property taxes or create a public building commission to issue bonds.

Rising inmate populations and a greater need to provide mental health assistance have county officials researching how to best improve the jail. In November, Weinaug gave an early estimate that the project would cost between $20 million and $30 million.

The language of the bill drafted by Weinaug would allow the county to ask voters to approve a 0.5 percent sales tax increase for the “construction or remodeling of a courthouse, jail, law enforcement center facility or other county administrative facility, specifically including mental health and the operation thereof.”

No decision has been reached on how big the expansion would be or how to finance it, “but (the commission) will be making those decisions over the next six months,” Weinaug said.

The commission will meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.