Washington tax rebel Tim Eyman has taken out a $250,000 mortgage on his house to help finance his latest initiative effort.

I-985 addresses the state’s transportation policies by lifting occupancy restrictions in car pool lanes during off-peak hours and use money from red-light cameras for congestion relief projects.

Eyman says smaller donations supporting the measure led to his decision to get the loan, as did the loss of a primary financial backer – investor Michael Dunmire has been the main supporter for Eyman’s efforts, and has already contributed $200,000 to I-985. However, charitable donations and other business obligations have left Dunmire less liquid than he has been in the past.

The I-985 campaign has raised $322,000 so far, but Eyman says another $290,000 is needed to help cover the costs of signature gathering. Eyman needs to collect roughly 250,000 valid signatures by July 3 to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

(Seattle Post-Intelligencer)