The Seattle City Council's budget committee cast its final round of votes on 2011-2012 budget in council chambers this morning. I've covered some of this votes before (may of them fights over taxes and transportation funding here, here, and here), but there's one highlight today: a vote to allow Seattle police to put a boot on cars that have accrued four or more parking violations.

Currently, the city impounds vehicles that are in illegal parking zones, requiring owners to pay the impound fee to get their car back. But the city doesn't really strong-arm vehicle owners to pay their parking tickets (they won't issue you new tabs with outstanding tickets, but that's about it). Under the new program, officers can fix an immobilizing device to a vehicle with four or more outstanding tickets, right there where it's parked (the city estimates that 20 or so boots will be in circulation per day). The driver must then call a number on the boot and arrange to pay their tickets via a credit card or payment plan. Once that's done, they're given a code to remove the 16-lb boot and have two days to return it to a designated drop-off area (most likely the city court house or city hall). The city estimates there are currently over 25,000 vehicles that will be targeted for booting under the new legislation (those vehicles collectively owe more than $15 million to the City, according to the mayor's office).

Council Member Nick Licata was concerned with the four-ticket threshold, saying it should be higher—five or six tickets—to reduce the number of vehicles that would be immediately eligible for booting. He argued that a higher threshold would let roughly 12,000 cars (that currently have four tickets) off the hook and give the city time to "work out various problems."

Council member Sally Clark also raised concerns. "The immediate release from the boot is particularly important," she said. "There are plenty of people with means who will get it off; it’s the people without means" who will struggle with the program.

Clark and Licata both called for a more detailed breakdown of how the program would be implemented, so the council amended the legislation to stipulate that city officials provide a business plan—which would also show whether or not the program will be financially viable—for the program 60 days before actual booting begins. They then approved the measure unanimously. The measure will take effect July 1st, 2011 and is expected to generate $1.9 million in gross revenue of for the city's general fund in 2011 and $2.4 million in gross revenue in 2012.

The council's action on parking rates in Seattle was entirely unsurprising—they voted unanimously to cap parking rates at $4 and kill a commercial parking tax hike to pay for bike, transit, and pedestrian improvements (more on that here). Parking rates won't raise any time soon because first, they decided, we need—wait for it—studies! The council members approved legislation to study of the effects of higher parking rates in Seattle; they approved a measure to have Seattle Department of Transportation issue a report on variable parking pricing; and the approved a measure to find funding for an annual parking study.

Sunday parking remains free (wheeee!).