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Consultants: $2/hour paid parking could pay for itself; council agrees to next steps
Summary
Walker Consultants told the Poulsbo City Council a mid‑range paid‑parking program (roughly $2/hour, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., employee permits) could generate roughly $900,000–$1,000,000 in annual revenue and cover operating costs; council approved further technical tasks but did not adopt rates or a start date.
Walker Consultants presented preliminary modeling on Nov. 20 showing that a phased paid‑parking program focused on Front Street, Anderson Parkway and parts of Jensen Way could reduce circling and create a revenue stream the city could reinvest downtown. Kinsey Colson, the consultant, said the firm’s mid‑range model assumed $2 per hour, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., affordable employee permits and a 7‑day operating window and projected "approximately about $1,000,000" in revenue against roughly $420,000 in operating costs for a full seven‑day program.
Colson emphasized the modeling was an early discovery exercise and that assumptions (hours, staffing model, enforcement technology and capital signage) would change results. "We want the parking to always be available with about 1 or 2 spaces open per block," she said, arguing that managed parking would reduce congestion and make downtown easier to visit. Council members repeatedly pressed on enforcement, accessibility for people with disabilities and employee parking to avoid shifting the problem to adjacent streets.
Councilors split on details but coalesced on a path forward: rather than adopt rates or a start date, the council asked Walker to continue tasks 2–6 of its contract to refine enforcement options (including license‑plate recognition vehicle enforcement), technology for a brief free/grace period, signage plans, cost estimates and outreach to merchants and residents. Several council members said enforcement must be reliable if paid parking is implemented. "If we do a paid‑parking program, we need to enforce not only paid sessions but existing rules such as overnight parking," one council member said during the Q&A.
Next steps include more detailed financial and enforcement modeling, testing technology options and public engagement. The council did not vote on a price schedule or implementation date at this meeting; staff will return with more analysis and draft operational rules for subsequent council consideration.
