Ald. Michael Murphy said Wednesday that he opposes the $20 wheel tax endorsed by a Common Council committee, and would offer a compromise that would reduce the proposed fee to $10.

The $20 fee endorsed Wednesday by the Public Works Committee would raise $6.6 million and would eliminate the need for special assessments for street repairs; the $10 fee would raise $3.3 million and allow special assessments to be significantly reduced, Murphy said.

The $20 fee  would allow some major entities, such as hospitals, that benefit greatly from steet repair programs to be totally exempted from sharing the cost of the repairs, Murphy said. Maintaining some level of special assessments would assure that those entitities shared in the cost of repairs while at the same time providing property tax relief, he said.

Murphy may have an uphill battle to win his colleagues’ support for his version of the wheel tax. The $20 fee proposal has 10 co-sponsors, a veto-proof majority. It was endorsed by the Public Works Committee on a 4-1 vote.