DC Council adopts budget, tax hikes

The D.C. Council on Friday swiftly and unanimously adopted its revised fiscal 2009 and 2010 budgets that employ tax increases, job reductions and deep agency cuts to close a $666 million deficit over the two years.

The council successfully balanced the budget without eating into the city’s rainy day fund — a top priority for Chairman Vincent Gray, who argued Friday that “an approach of facing the problem head-on now was a more responsible tact.”