PORTLAND — A handful of Oregon towns and one county have imposed or increased gasoline taxes this year, pushing to beat a state deadline later this month.

But many of the taxes could fail, in referendum votes or in the courts.

So far, according to tallies by interest groups, nine cities and one county have approved increases in the gasoline tax in recent months.

In five jurisdictions, petition drives supported by the statewide organization of petroleum dealers have resulted in referendum votes scheduled as soon as Tuesday, in Hood River.

Others are in Hood River County (November), and Cornelius, Madras and Sisters (March), according to the petroleum dealers’ lobbyist, Paul Romain.

In two cities, Newport and Sandy, petition drives failed, Romain said. In two others, Redmond and Lincoln City, petition gatherers are still at work.

In the largest of the cities involved, Eugene, election officials are working to verify the signatures, city officials said.

At least two more cities, Coos Bay and neighboring North Bend, are reported talking about the taxes.

City and county leaders argue that state and federal aid has lagged, and the streets are in poor repair. In Hood River, for example, officials say the 3-cent local tax would patch a budget hole left by the impending demise of timber aid.

Opponents argue that the recession is the wrong time to raise taxes. The petroleum dealers say local taxes put dealers within the city or county at a disadvantage to dealers outside the city or county limits.

A bill the Legislature passed this year imposes a 6-cents increase in the statewide gasoline tax, effective when the state sees half a year of job growth but not later than 2011.

As part of the dealmaking that brought support from both parties and from interest groups such as organizations of truckers and service station owners, the legislation says cities and counties can’t raise their local gasoline taxes until 2014 — and then only with a vote of the people.

About 20 jurisdictions already had gasoline taxes, which wouldn’t be affected by the new law.

Even if voters in any of the jurisdictions approve a higher gas tax, the state moratorium could trump their ballots. Romain argues that once a tax has been referred, it’s not enacted until the voters approve it.

In most cases that would be well after Sept. 28. The Hood River vote Tuesday is the only one before the deadline.

Democrat Rick Metsger, chair of the Oregon Senate’s transportation committee, confirms that the Legislature’s lawyer is of the same opinion.

“We respectfully disagree,” said Craig Honeyman, lobbyist for the League of Oregon Cities. “Our legal counsel is telling us that the effective date is the day on which the majority of the a city council votes to approve the local gas tax.”

Romain says he expects popular opinion to be the final word.

“We may never get a court case because the way people feel about gas taxes, I doubt any of them will pass,” he said.