AUGUSTA (AP) – While the issue that motivated them has been mooted, Republican organizers of a people’s veto petition drive expressed confidence Monday that they would have collected enough signatures to force a statewide vote on an unpopular borrowing provision that was scratched late last week from the pending state budget.

The GOP organizers also voiced satisfaction at the deletion of the objectionable borrowing plan, even as they said they did not support the higher taxes used as half of its replacement.

Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, declared the petition drive over but urged circulators to pass on their lists anyway.

“We do want the names,” he said.

At a State House news conference, Don’t Mortgage ME leader Michael Healy pegged the cost of the petition drive at about $75,000 and he said the disposition of petition signatures that were collected will be decided internally by the organization.

Other campaign organizers, including former U.S. Rep. David Emery, who is exploring a run for governor, and Mills, who has said he may enter the gubernatorial race, said initial plans are to compile a list of petition signers so they may be thanked.

Lawmakers closed out their session early Saturday after replacing the $450 million borrowing plan with a combination of spending cuts across state government and a $1 doubling of the tax on a pack of cigarettes.

To offset the borrowing plan, budget writers needed to come up with a net of about $250 million.

Final approvals came Friday night on votes of 74-72 in the House of Representatives and 19-14 in the Senate. The votes closely followed party lines.

A $5.7 billion two-year state spending package was originally passed in late March, pushed through by the Democratic House and Senate majorities. In the aftermath of its enactment, Republicans mounted the people’s veto campaign.

Organizers took on the task of submitting at least 50,519 petition signatures to state election officials by June 28.

Emery said Monday organizers believed they had about 42,000 signatures on hand and that another 12,000 to 15,000 were believed to be still in the field.

Mills credited Democratic lawmakers for their willingness to replace the borrowing plan, saying they “had the courage to admit that they were wrong.”

Senate Majority Leader Michael Brennan, D-Portland, shrugged off Mills’ characterization.

He said Democrats embraced budget revisions for several reasons, including “uncertainty” created by the petition drive, recent drops in the state’s bond rating and potential fiscal pressures from the federal consideration of base closings and realignments that could affect Maine.

Gov. John Baldacci, who also signed on to the new budget fix, is expected to hold a ceremony to mark its passage this week.

Financial details of the Don’t Mortgage ME campaign are due to be filed with state officials by mid-July. Mills suggested final expenditure figures could be in the range of $90,000.