Town ends 2023 with record surplus

Largest ever, that is the Town of La Conner $971,884 2023 budget surplus.

Councilmembers opened their January packets to find that the $43,947 in sales tax revenue pushed the year’s total to $630,453, 3.5% and $21,272 above budgeted projections. It is the third straight year above $630,000, though $47,470 below the almost $678,000 collected in 2022.

The Special Use Fire Tax was likewise flush, with the $4,345 pushing the year’s total to $61,350, 22.7% above the $50,000 budgeted.

And while the hotel/motel tax on lodging finished 2023 47.2% above budget projections, at $195,784 and boosted by $1...