La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Defunding the police was never an issue in La Conner this summer.

The question instead was whether the Town could afford a three per cent hike in its law enforcement services contract with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office amid fears of falling municipal revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 4-1 Town Council majority approved $331,097 for 2021, closing the books on a month-long discussion at its Aug. 25 meeting,

Councilmembers Bill Stokes and Jacques Brunisholz had earlier said there were obstacles to contracting with Swinomish, a move that had been championed by Councilmember John Le...