Town of Anacortes is ending higher than anticipated in 2020 and is altering its funds to mirror the actual information

Amid the economic chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there was good news.

The city of Anacortes ended 2020 better than expected, the city’s finance director Steve Hoglund reported on Monday. Tax revenues met or exceeded budget in all areas except three: sales and use tax, 3.3% below budget; Accommodation tax 22% below budget; and a portion of the sales tax levied in support of the criminal justice system 23.8% below budget.

The biggest gain was recorded in the excise tax on real estate, which was 10.1% above budget. This reflects the real estate market, which remained relatively strong despite the pandemic.

In Anacortes, new registrations, completed sales, and average property prices rose for most of 2020 year over year. The average year-end closing price was $ 554,250, down from $ 478,000 the previous year, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service reported.

Following the Hoglund report, the city council passed an ordinance amending the budget to reflect actual final income and expenditure for 2020.

According to Hoglund, there has been expenses related to pandemics: higher voter registration costs, hardware purchases to enable remote work by city officials and employees, PPE purchases and overtime due to more EMT calls. Unexpected expenses: The Solid Waste Fund did not budget properly for tonnage costs. Also, the Anacortes Community Forest Lands Fund initially removed seasonal staff from the 2020 budget, but they were added later when it was determined that “without the maintenance and attention it would be a major disadvantage for forest areas,” the regulation says.

The city received nearly $ 1.1 million in grants from federal and private sources and made those funds – including $ 100,000 from an anonymous donor – available to help local businesses fight the pandemic.