D.C. Finished 2012 With a $400 Million Surplus

Money trees are the perfect place for shade.

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According to the Washington Post, D.C. finished the 2012 fiscal year with a $400 million surplus. It's a $160 million jump over 2011, and the extra money can be attributed to less spending by agencies and more revenue than originally projected.

Extra money-grabbers include the expanding arsenal of traffic cameras, which raked in nearly $85 million last year. The Post also mentions that some of the extra money came from things that can only be used for very specific reasons, like the dreaded 5-cent plastic bag tax.

So what is the District going to do with this money? Mayor Vincent Gray is reportedly committed to giving it to the government's emergency fund, but activists are encouraging him to put some of it into affordable, low-income housing.

The final numbers for the 2012 fiscal year will be announced next Tuesday.

[via DCist]

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