WASHINGTON - The D.C. council's decision to close a major funding loophole through issuing more parking tickets has many in the city outraged. 

Drivers parking on the street in D.C. are required to move their cars for routine street cleaning. Many, though, leave their cars parked where they are and have, in the past, escaped any consequence. That will change under the new budget: the city will outfit 12 street sweeper vehicles with cameras, catching those who don't move their cars and hitting them with tickets.

William Howland of District Department of Public Works said, "With the sweeper cam, you'll a have hundred percent chance that you will get a ticket."

That $40 ticket, multiplied by the more than 200,000 the city expects to issue, will equal about $7 million in new revenue. 

Outrage over the new policy boiled over outside the L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station Wednesday. After city workers booted his truck, an immigrant known as 'Zack' pulled a knife and started cutting his own truck tires. In the process he somehow cut off part of his finger.

"I tried to tell him all he had to do was call and make a payment arrangement and you'll get your vehicle back," said DPW's Henry Huff, who admitted he was shocked by the man's subsequent behavior. "I mean, his finger's around the corner -- that didn't look good."

'Zack's' truck, flat tires and all, are towed after the incident outside the L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station.

An ambulance came and retrieved 'Zack's' finger. EMTs hoped to save it. Meantime, Zack's truck was towed away.

To be booted usually takes at least three unpaid parking tickets. It was unclear how many tickets Zack had. According to the vendors, Zack is an immigrant from Syria who makes his living towing vending carts in and out of the city.

While many residents and visitors expressed outrage about the parking crackdown, they substituted crime metaphors for actual violence.

"D.C. has never passed by an opportunity to pick motorists' pockets," said AAA's Lon Anderson.

A woman named Missy told Sam Ford she had to get rid of her car because of tickets.

"D.C. is just greedy for money. It don't make no sense how they robbing us without without a gun," she said. 

Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham suggested there's an alternative to the parking crackdown: a commuter tax, which is used in other cities but the District has long been barred from collecting.

"You know, if we can tax the 67 percent of the income that leaves the District of Columbia every single day, give us that ability and, well, we can look at this again," Graham said.

Graham, who chairs the Public Works and Transportation Committee, said he worked for the street-sweeper cameras, but he admitted a "collision between two public interests."

"People don't wants tickets, but people also demand clean streets," Graham said.

Graham also prevented Fenty from cutting 65 parking control positions, about half of which are unfilled. The additional officers will allow the city to expand enforcement in residential parking zones.

Graham pointed out that 70 percent of citations are given to nonresidents. He said the increased enforcement will result in an additional $12 million for the city.

"The way parking enforcement has occurred historically is it's all about downtown, and we need to change that," Graham said. 

The council also moved forward with cutting hundreds of city jobs in hopes of closing the gap. Some jobs they spared, however: empty parking control positions, for example, will be filled. Those officers will be out checking meters and writing tickets.

The budget closes a $800 million shortfall. Mayor Adrian Fenty had submitted his proposal in March.

The council "has made substantial improvements to the introduced budget" Fenty offered, Council Chairman Vincent Gray said.

The budget was unanimously approved. Council members got rid of several of Fenty's budget initiatives, including a $51-a-year charge on residential electric bills for streetlight maintenance and an increase in the 911 tax on phone bills. It also cut funding for the mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program. It also eliminates popular sales tax holidays for back-to-school and holiday-season shopping, but it increases funding for pre-kindergarten, health care and job training.

The city finance office was unable to tell ABC 7 News exactly how much it makes from parking fines, but in the past it has been upwards of $70 million a year.

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