Petitions started to repeal unpopular Clackamas car tax

by Tom Devanney

Clackamas County Commissioners passed a new Vehicle Tax of $5 per vehicle for the Sellwood bridge in December.  A bit odd, since the bridge is in Multnomah County, and Clackamas County vehicles rarely use it.  Some 70% of the traffic is Multnomah County.  But the devil is in the details.  This new Sellwood bridge will cost Clackamas taxpayers $22 million in new taxes.  Commissioners plan to use the money, not to build the bridge, but to fund more unpopular, wasteful projects.  Estimates now are that the Commissioners will, behind taxpayer’s backs, increase the tax to $40 per vehicle.

It so riled the populous of Clackamas, that on January 6th, 2011, they announced a referendum to overturn the tax. The petitions are available throughout the county – contact one of these people to get yours: