NTKG, Reporting

Faced with a $666 million revenue shortfall through October 2012, council members crafted a plan, to be voted on Friday, that aims to raise $50 million annually in new revenue while making $103 million in annual spending cuts; these come on top of measures already proposed by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D). Noteworthy are the council’s actions to raise the gasoline tax by 3.5 cents, add 50 cents to the cost of a pack of cigarettes and increase parking fees for government workers. The budget crisis also caused the council to abolish all earmarks, a move no doubt hastened by publicity over Ward 8 council member Marion Barry’s dubious use of the practice.

This city.