Oregon Public Broadcasting

Opponents of the vehicle registration fee recently approved in Clackamas County started gathering signatures Wednesday to put the issue on the ballot.

Clackamas County says the vehicle fee would raise $22 million to help Multnomah County with the $300 million cost of replacing the Sellwood Bridge.

Opponents of the $5 annual fee have 90 days to collect more than 6000 signatures. But organizers want to get the signatures faster than that, so the referendum can be on the May ballot.

Opponents are confident they can defeat the fee.

However, Clackamas County chair, Lynne Peterson, says more county residents have expressed support for funding for a new bridge.

Lynne Peterson: “We definitely have a feeling from the public on what they think about this. Not only from the testimony, but also from the written testimony that we got under public comment, and it was two-to-one in favor.”

Peterson says if the fee were repealed, Clackamas County would start over on how to help fund the Sellwood Bridge replacement.