Drug offenders soon may have their own court, but only if DeKalb County voters approve a referendum.

The county board will investigate the possibility of a drug court if the public safety sales tax referendum passes.

The referendum, passed by the board Wednesday, will go to voters in March.

If approved, the half-cent sales tax increase also would fund expansion of the county jail.

If administered similarly to the drug rehabilitation court in Kane County, drug offenders would appear in court each week and go through regular drug testing and rehabilitation.

It’s still early in the process of seeking funding for a study of the possibilities, said Sue Leifheit, chairwoman of the ad-hoc jail expansion committee of the DeKalb County Board.

“We’ll try any alternative,” Leifheit said. “The one thing everybody can agree on is that the jail is overcrowded.”

The drug court would allow the court system to rehabilitate drug offenders without placing a burden on the jail.

The jail expansion referendum would add about 70 beds to the current 72-bed facility.

The current timeline places the vote in March and, if approved, the tax increase in July. Jail construction could begin in 2006.

Implementation of the drug court is not specifically tied to the new jail, said Roger Scott, DeKalb County sheriff and jail expansion committee member.

“It was sparked by discussion from some of the committee members and the public,” Scott said.

The tax increase would fund a study to examine the possibilities for alleviating pressure on the jail.

“We’d like to see if it would work in DeKalb County,” Scott said. “Bigger counties have had some success with them.”