La Conner’s tourist economy slowed a bit last fall, but not much, as the January tax revenue reports to the town council show. The Town of La Conner’s sales tax revenue of $43,391 is $1,830 higher than 2022’s total and the second highest ever for the month. The $4,333 in the Town’s renamed Special Use Fire Tax Revenue was also the second highest January ever, 5.5% above 2022.

The $9,175 hotel/motel taxes collected is 12.6% below 2022 but less than $200 below 2020’s total. It is the third highest for the month.

Revenues from utility programs stayed golden. Collections were at nine or 10 percent of budget projections, their revenues topping one-month averages. The funds and their totals: Water, $104,657; Drainage, $33,000; Sewer, $74,164; Sewer Compost, $103,944.

The two REET taxes (real estate excise tax, the tax on the sale of real property) were anemic, at $58 and $61, reflecting the drastic drop in home sales last fall.

January has historically been one of the three lowest collection months, followed by March and April. These totals are based on November’s collections from town businesses and online purchases, a two-month lag in funds turned over by the state’s Department of Revenue.

La Conner has a calendar fiscal year.