Town's 2025 budget, and you

It is budget time again. Across Washington state and throughout the country, governments of towns, cities and countries with fiscal years starting January 1 are going through similar steps of developing their annual operating budgets.

Big yawn, right? This is the time of year when newspaper subscribers really learn of – if not realize – the value of their subscriptions. For about $1.15 a week Weekly News readers get the advantage of reading stories by professional journalists summarizing and analyzing their local government’s budget process from the comfort of their own homes or nearby coffee shops.

Readers don’t need to wade through a four page letter dense with policy and rhetoric from La Conner’s mayor or have their eyes glaze over from reviewing 22 pages of revenue and expenses. They can pass, as their neighbors do, on attending the public hearings the state legislature mandates be held.

Readers are not alone in missing the annual ritual of the mayor gaveling open the public hearings only to gavel them close a minute later. As Scott Thomas, La Conner town administrator and a career city attorney for municipalities large and small observed, residents seldom attend or speak at budget hearings.

Speaking out can make a difference. Last year one person advocated that La Conner, which had not contributed a dime to the building of the new library, put $10,000 in the budget for programming. Council finally penciled in $4,000. That is a start.

This year that resident will ask that the grant be increased to $10,000 on the principle of if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Residents will benefit from that funding. Ask council members to increase it.

Next year’s budget has $8,000 for a chain link fence on the sidewalk side of the town’s Maple Avenue park. That’s a safety measure to prevent dogs and kids from inadvertently running into traffic. If the town had won a state grant, they would have committed some $250,000 to develop that park. Do residents want the present grassy field or picnic tables, a covered area, playground equipment and more? That is not up for discussion, but if it were, would anyone but the park commissioners speak for that?

That is what budget hearings are for, an opportunity for residents to weigh in before money is spent or to insist that funds get invested.

Last summer the town council committed $163,500 into starting the process of getting a fireboat built. Council wants the rest of the funds to come from other governments. That might take three years. Costs will increase. Do residents and downtown building and business owners want a boat sooner? No one has spoken for investing more town dollars.

Before La Conner’s council passes the budget Dec. 10th, they will hold a budget hearing Nov. 26th. Bill Reynolds will be there to report on it. He is doing that whether anyone reads his story in the Weekly News or not. Will any town resident attend these meeting to say what they want – or don’t want – the town to spend their tax monies on?

The 2025 town budget calls for expenditures of about $8.4 million and estimates revenue collection of $7.8 million.

Is there anything in that budget that concerns you?

Copies are on the town website: townoflaconner.org/.

Council meetings are at 6 p.m. In Maple Hall.