In order to pay for the city's share of the Viaduct replacement project, Mayor Mike McGinn told reporters this morning, the city should increase the commercial parking tax by 2.5 percent—and put a bond measure on the November 2010 or February 2011 ballot to help refurbish the waterfront seawall (at a cost of about $50 a year to the average household), and create a "Local Improvement District" downtown that would generate revenue from those most affected by the new construction.

Those last two ideas should be familiar to anyone following the Viaduct replacement debate. The additional hike in the parking tax, McGinn said, is necessary because of the general budget woes affecting the city and state.

The city council would have to approve all of these ideas, and in the past it has seemed especially reluctant to consider the seawall bond measure. McGinn, however, said he has been having good discussions with the council on the issue and looks forward to more. "We'll see where the discussion goes," he said.