Poulsbo, Port to circulate joint letter asking state for derelict-vessel funding and clearer definitions
Summary
City and Port officials discussed a multi-jurisdictional letter to the governor asking for increased funding and new statutory language to speed removal of derelict vessels; police and port staff described operational costs and ongoing removals.
Poulsbo city and Port of Poulsbo officials said they will circulate a joint letter to Gov. Jay Inslee seeking additional funding and clearer legal definitions for addressing derelict vessels in Liberty Bay.
The letter, which staff said will be circulated among local jurisdictions and ports before final approval, asks the state to consider increased reimbursement for vessel removals and to adopt a proposed definition intended to make the program easier to administer. Mayor Becky Erickson said the draft will be returned to the council for formal approval before being sent to the port for its sign-on.
Why this matters: officials described derelict and occupied vessels as a countywide problem that damages waterfront facilities, creates environmental risks and imposes large removal costs on local governments. Sergeant Dave Hausburg of the Poulsbo Police Department said the department has removed or otherwise resolved several occupied vessels and is now focusing on long-term abandoned boats.
City and port staff said they have been coordinating with countywide and regional partners. “It’s a big problem, but we’re chipping away at it,” Sergeant Hausburg said, summarizing enforcement and removal work underway. Police said they have taken a vessel into custody and that disposition and reimbursement work is proceeding through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Officials asked that the draft letter be circulated to other ports and to the Washington Public Ports Association for additional backing. Port manager James Weaver and port commissioners said they will present the draft to the ports’ association and to neighboring jurisdictions including Port Orchard, Kitsap County, Bainbridge Island and the Suquamish Tribe.
Costs and program mechanics: council members asked that the letter include language on the financial burden borne by local agencies. City staff told the group the bill for one recent removal was just under $23,000, a figure used to illustrate that current DNR reimbursement levels may not reflect the full cost of disposals. Officials said the draft letter’s back page contains proposed statutory language aimed at speeding removals and clarifying who pays for what.
Next steps: staff said they will revise the draft, return it to the city council for approval, then send it to the port for sign-on and to present to other ports. Port commissioners authorized manager Weaver to pursue review with the Washington State Port Association; city staff said they will also circulate the draft to Kitsap County ports and regional partners.
