Bend voters reject proposal to raise gas tax, improve roads

BEND, Ore. (AP) – Bend voters have rejected the city’s plan to raise gas tax to pay for road improvements.

The Bend Bulletin reports that election results as of 10 p.m. Tuesday showed the measure losing by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. It would have created a 5-cent-per-gallon tax that was expected to generate about $2.5 million in revenue each year.

Bend has an estimated $80 million in deferred street maintenance.

Former Bend mayor Jeff Eager opposed the measure. He says the 58.2 percent turnout indicates that the proposal may have drawn out voters who don’t normally weigh in on local issues.

Peter Werner of the Yes For Bend Roads campaign says he had hoped the vote would be lopsided in the other direction, showing public support for the city’s infrastructure.