Oregon Public Broadcasting

Redmond is the third central Oregon city to impose a new gas tax.

The city council voted unanimously Tuesday to add 3-cents-per-gallon to the price at the pump in 2011.

Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports on why so many cities are passing gas taxes right now.

It’s an issue of timing.  Earlier this year the Legislature approved a 6-cents-per-gallon gas tax hike across Oregon.

In order to win support, the law also banned cities from raising their own gas taxes. That takes effect at the end of this month.

That’s why Sisters, Madras, and now Redmond have all voted in the past few weeks for a local gas tax. George Endicott is the mayor of Redmond.

George Endicott: “Redmond, Madras, Sisters -- our charters allow us to do that by a vote of the council. Bend, where they might want to do it, don’t have time to do it.”

Opponents of the Redmond tax say they will collect signatures to counteract the council’s vote and instead ask voters.

They say legally the signatures could even prevent the gas tax altogether, because the ballot vote would come after the September cutoff date.