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

Can you say $873,094 Town of La Conner 2022 budget surplus? Director of Finance Maria DeGoede can. Her monthly treasurer’s report for the 4th quarter 2022, year to date, in the town council’s Jan. 10 meeting packet, shows revenue of $5,988,197, 117% of projected for the year. Expenditures were $5,115,103 and $942,082, or 15.6% below 2022’s projections.

Every fund category was above 100% projections, led by the two Real Estate Excise Tax funds (REET), at 221% of projections, $48,715. But it was the general fund, $211,029 in additional revenue, the compost operations, $178,638 over, and water revenues, $149,009 above projections, that brought in over 61% of the surplus

December’s sales tax revenues of $46,910 was the third best ever for the month and $1,424 below 2021. The $677,923 for the year is $185,620 above the budgeted amount and the second year in a row above $630,000.

The $15,232 in Hotel/Motel taxes is the highest December ever, 11.6% above 2021. The $196,405 collected in 2022 is 48.4% above budgeted projections and over $21,000 above last year’s previous high.

The $4,555 collected for the Firetruck sales tax is almost 148% of the projected annual collection.

The $6,599 in REET (Real Estate Excise Tax) revenue more than doubles the budget estimate, totaling $88,459 versus the $40,000 projected for the year.

The year’s property tax collection totals $337,738, hitting the budgeted amount.

The budget surplus is fueled by four fund programs each spending at least $100,000 less than projected, totaling $627,400 in reduced expenses, 67% of the unspent funds. The sewer, water and storm drainage funds did not spend $524,905 allocated.

If all programs allocations had been completely spent, the budget would have been $69,000 in deficit instead of the $949,000 projected and approved.

These totals are based on October collections from town businesses and online purchases delivered to La Conner addresses and reported to town council. November and December collections will be reported in 2023 reports from the Department of Revenue.

La Conner has a calendar fiscal year.