La Conner council approves Maple Avenue street vacation, buys life jackets and authorizes plant generator agreement

La Conner Town Council adopted Ordinance No. 1265 to vacate and sell a roughly 30‑foot strip of Maple Avenue right‑of‑way after a public hearing and voice vote. The parcel was appraised in June at $21,000; the sale will take effect when payment is received, according to staff briefing documents.

The action followed a public hearing in which staff said the right‑of‑way abuts property owned by the same owner who applied to purchase the strip and that there were no non‑abutting owners asserting special injury. Council closed the hearing, then moved and approved the ordinance by voice vote.

Council also approved purchasing 12 personal flotation devices (life jackets) for the town fireboat from National Safety for $5,084.22. The council discussed the fireboat’s 20‑hour and 100‑hour maintenance schedule and accepted staff’s recommendation to match the boat’s 12‑person capacity with 12 PFDs; the purchase was approved by motion and voice vote.

Separately, the council authorized entering an agreement for generator work at the wastewater treatment plant and approved a mortgage/license agreement with the Port of Skagit to site the town’s fireboat at port property at no charge (the port’s paperwork lists $0 rent and a nominal $8 electricity charge). Both agreements were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

The consent agenda and routine minutes were approved earlier in the meeting. No roll‑call tallies were recorded in the public transcript; each of the listed motions passed by voice vote as indicated in the minutes.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance No. 1265 (Maple Avenue street vacation): approved; sale price per June appraisal $21,000; sale effective on payment. - Purchase of 12 life jackets (National Safety): $5,084.22; approved by motion and voice vote. - Authorization to execute generator agreement (wastewater treatment plant): approved by motion and voice vote. - Port of Skagit mortgage/license for fireboat: approved; $0 rent, $8 electricity per agreement.

What the actions mean

The Maple Avenue vacation transfers a municipal right‑of‑way interest to the adjacent property owner, providing flexibility in that owner’s site planning; staff noted vacation will not increase the number of housing units allowed on the site but will give the applicant additional site‑layout options. The life‑jacket purchase is a direct equipment procurement to meet the boat’s operational capacity while the generator agreement preserves critical backup power at a town utility site.

Council did not record a roll‑call vote or individual member votes in the public transcript; the meeting record indicates voice approval for each item.