My concern: If I need to call 911 and I can get to my phone to dial I don’t want to have to guess and wonder if or when the police are going to show up. I expect it in a reasonable amount of time.

I attended the council meeting Sept. 28 and expressed this concern to the sheriff’s representatives there. They stated that there is an existing contract to provide 80 hours of service … to La Conner?

My unanswered question: Is that 80 hours in La Conner or “Zone 1,” which includes Conway, Bayview, etc.? I think everyone at the meeting agreed that we all want more visibility as a deterrent to some of the petty and not so petty crimes that have occurred in town.

It was obvious to me that the sheriff wants to keep the contract with our town and protect us and is very interested to hear our concerns. I want to work with the sheriff’s department.

Mayor Ramon Hayes spoke of discussions with the Swinomish police department, saying that they need some more time (three months was mentioned, I believe) to provide their proposal for service to La Conner. He mentioned that the town would extend the current contract for one year, enough time to see both plans for 2023. I would like to come to a mutual agreement of that concept with the sheriff’s department.

Let’s all insist on the one-year extension and hear proposals from both organizations.

There was also discussion about the code enforcement position being a great full-time position for a retired police officer.

I am a resident and retired local business owner

Stuart Hutt

La Conner