The city council's transportation committee passed an increase in the commercial parking tax this morning—from the current 10 percent rate (which brings in  $20 million a year)—to 12.5 percent for another $5 million.

As Erica has reported, the council's position is different from Mayor Mike McGinn's. McGinn wants a higher rate (the city can go to 20 percent) to fund things like bridge and street maintenance and bike projects.

The council wants to money  to go to Viaduct replacement projects only,  although, the current legislation does not specify that.

We have calls in to McGinn's office and the Downtown Seattle Association (which does not like higher rates on commercial parking).

Jon Scholes at the DSA (Seattle's downtown biz advocacy group) says it's not fair to tax one neighborhood—downtown—to fund something like the seawall, which serves the whole city, asking why downtown lot owners should have to pay the tax for their 30 spots while Northgate Mall wouldn't pay. "It's a tax on our densest neighborhood to fund citywide transportation infrastructure," he grouses. "We wouldn't ask Lake City to fund the rebuild of the North Seattle police precinct."

The mayor's office's take on the committe vote: "Details of the mayor’s 2011 budget proposal will be announced on September 27."