Marion County will know soon whether a proposed method for financing a jail is constitutional, a spokesman for Kansas Attorney General Steve Six said Thursday.

The Attorney General’s office received a request for an opinion at the beginning of June, spokesman Gavin Young said. An opinion likely will be ready in three or four weeks, he said.

Marion County Public Safety and Law Enforcement Center Committee recommended Marion County finance any new jail construction by charging a flat assessment to all property owners in the county. The committee made its recommendation in November 2009.

It took several months to make the request for an opinion because it took several drafts to be certain the request correctly described the proposal, Marion County Attorney Susan Robson said.

The Attorney General’s office previously said a fee charged only to homeowners would be unconstitutional.

The committee was formed to consider possibilities to resolve safety issues at the 50-year-old county jail.