Poulsbo council approves resolution to pursue timing for downtown paid-parking implementation

The Poulsbo City Council on March 19 approved Resolution 2025-03 directing staff to advance the timing and next steps for downtown parking implementation, including improved signage, designated employee parking, targeted enforcement and a phased paid-parking program.

Planning director Heather Wright told the council the effort has been underway for two years and summarized recent engagement and data: "We did get 39 people respond to the survey, and it went out to at least 100 different business owners," she said, and staff are estimating between "a hundred and a hundred and fifty" employee spaces will be needed downtown. Wright said signage improvements alone are estimated at about $30,000; enforcement costs and third-party parking management could push initial implementation costs higher, and Walker Consultants modeled citation and paid-parking revenue in the first year.

Council members debated phasing and enforcement levels through a string of comments and one failed amendment. Council member Brett Libdahl moved to approve the resolution directing staff to continue implementation planning; the motion was seconded and carried. Council members emphasized that the resolution is a waypoint to guide staff work rather than a final decision on rates or exact enforcement schedules. Council member Gary McVeigh, who described the process as long and emotional for the community, said he was "really hoping that we can come to a decision tonight" about next steps but acknowledged the resolution directs further study and outreach.

The Walker Consultants recommendation discussed by staff would target paid parking in roughly half the identified downtown spaces and model fees at approximately $2 an hour between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., with a wide range of revenue scenarios. Staff said enforcement assumptions (for example, 6–7-day intermittent patrols by a third-party vendor) informed the estimate that enforcement could cost roughly $156,000, but council members suggested staged or selective enforcement could be tested first.

The council directed staff to return with more specific parameters, costs, potential employee-parking arrangements and budget implications before any paid-parking startup. The resolution does not finalize enforcement hours, ticket amounts or a firm launch date for paid parking.