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City of Poulsbo January E-Newsletter

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City of Poulsbo News You Can Use

City Hall Closure


City of Poulsbo Holiday Hours. Please plan accordingly so that we may best serve you:

Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day - on Monday, January 20, 2025


Board and Commission Vacancies

Volunteer Vacancies. Poulsbo's Parks and Recreation Commission, Poulsbo Tree Board, Poulsbo Planning Commission and Poulsbo's Civil Service Commission all have vacancies. If you are interested in serving on any of these commissions, please consider applying today.


You may now find the P&R Commissioner role description and information via the webpage Parks and Recreation Commission.


Poulsbo Tree Board role description and information via the webpage Poulsbo Tree Board & Urban Forestry Program.


Information about the Planning Commission may be found via the Planning Commission webpage.


Information about the Civil Service Commission may be found via the Civil Service Commission webpage


Please use the volunteer application found at Boards and Commission Volunteer Application.


Applications can be turned into the City Clerk's Office at 200 NE Moe Street or emailed to cityclerks@cityofpoulsbo.com.


Please call (360) 394-9880 with questions.

Housing, Health and Human Services Department Update

Participation in UW CLEARS Project. The Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute (ADAI) at the University of Washington was funded through the Washington State Health Care Authority to conduct a one-year project to improve interactions between police and people who use drugs. Since 2022, ADAI has collaborated with seven sites across Washington State to develop their own approaches. Poulsbo Police and H3 were invited to join the Kitsap County CLEARS cohort this year, and our efforts wrapped this month with a water-bottle stuffing event at the Recovery Resource Center. Bottles were packaged with Narcan, gloves, and other warming supplies to be distributed by police as part of homeless outreach; the bottles include information about how to get help with recovery services. Very proud to be a part of this effort alongside some of the County’s most remarkable advocates, the County prosecutor and representatives from County and City police.

 

Spanish language line live. In a continuing effort to be more responsive to our Spanish speaking residents, the City established a Spanish communications line this month. People can call 360-394-9795 Monday-Friday 11am to 7pm to get information and ask questions about local issues.

 

Staffing changes at the Recovery Center. We say goodbye this month to Fiscal and Administrative Assistant Jenn who has helped us tremendously this year with budgeting and contracts. On a happier note-there are three promotions at the Recovery Center: Kari is our new Operations Manager, Summer is our new Café Coordinator, and Julia has moved from part-time Peer Support Specialist to a full-time employee. The Center is open for walk in visits every day from 10am to 4pm and will start serving meals to Center members early in 2025.

Planning and Economic Development Department Update

Happy 2025 and my wish is that all reading this had an enjoyable and memorable Christmas and holiday season.

 

I am pleased to announce that two of our staff members have received title changes based on their increasing job duties and performance as approved in the 2025-2026 biennial budget. Nikole Coleman was promoted from Senior Planner to Planning Manager and Tiffany Simmons was promoted from Planning Technician to Planner/GIS Coordinator. Nikole has been successfully leading the department's legislative work plan including the Comprehensive Plan update and the upcoming Critical Areas Ordinance update. Tiffany has leveraged our GIS efforts with the launching of two interactive GIS maps. Please congratulate them on their incredible work and contributions to the department's legislative work plan and improved access to information in map form.

 

The Department will release their second annual housing report on January 10th in our monthly Spotlight newsletter This graphic representation will provide a visually pleasing and easy to digest total count of new single family and multifamily residences permitted within the city limits and the associated Urban Growth Area. The report will provide highlights on the size of units, number of bedrooms and additional interesting housing trends. 

 

Additionally, the department will bring a modest fee schedule update, a draft work plan of legislative items and a public hearing to extend the unit lot subdivision to the city council on January 15th

 

Heather Wright, AICP

Director of Planning and Economic Development

Engineering and Building Department Update

Rotary Morrow Community Park- The new community park, located at the corner of Noll Road and Mesford Street, has been taking shape over the last month. The playground equipment was installed in late November, ahead of schedule, and landscaping and irrigation will soon be completed. New trails and a picnic area will complete the park. 

Raab Park Play-for-All Project- The playground equipment was installed in late November at Raab Park, earlier than anticipated for the new Play-for-All ADA-accessible playground. Several new pieces of equipment and sensory stations have been added, all of which are designed to accommodate physical disabilities and provide a sensory rich experience. New features include a wheelchair-friendly merry-go-round, wheelchair-accessible swing, inclusive teeter totter, and swing seats, among other new stations. Donor plaques were installed last month in the plaza area of the playground. 

Raab Park Playground Installation

Nordic Cottages- The utility work has been completed for the new Nordic Cottages residential development, and foundations were poured after Thanksgiving. The Nordic Cottages, located at 609 NE Lincoln Road (aka “The Triangle Property”) are adjacent to Gateway Fellowship Church and will provide eight affordable apartments in a partnership between the City of Poulsbo and Housing Kitsap. 

Foundations at Nordic Cottages

NKSD Poulsbo Middle School Addition- The North Kitsap School District is nearing completion on  a two-story 17,700 square foot addition to Poulsbo Middle School, which now connects its main building to the current lunchroom and the PE area. The addition includes ten new modern STEM classrooms and a new gathering space for students, while replacing ten portables behind the school. Student safety should improve since students will no longer have to walk along the street to get from one building to another. Move-in has taken place over the last several weeks, and an open house took place on December 16th for the students and parents to celebrate the new space. Students will begin classes in their new classrooms in January. 

New Classroom at PMS

New Stairway & Student Gathering Area at PMS

Join our Engineering Team! Are you interested in joining a small team of well-rounded players with a collaborative spirit and growth mindset? The City of Poulsbo is seeking to add one talented engineering technician or engineer to our team. For a full job description and application, please visit our website at https://cityofpoulsbo.com/human-resources-employment-opportunities

Finance Department Update

Utility Rates Update


Directed by the Poulsbo Municipal Code (PMC), utility rates are subject to annual adjustments on January 1st using the prior year’s June 30th Consumer Price Index – All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Poulsbo’s geographic area. The rate changes effective January 1, 2025, for Water, Sewer, Solid Waste, and Stormwater will be 3.8%.

 

The Low-Income Senior and Disabled Reduced Rate Utility Program income limit has increased to $48,000, effective as of December 2024 billing. Eligibility information and application forms are available online at: https://cityofpoulsbo.com/utility-billing/. For further assistance, contact the Finance Department at 360-394-9881.


Have you considered suspending your irrigation account for the season? For a $40 fee, not only will this save you base charges, but it can also play a role in protecting your system against winter damage and water loss. For more information, contact the Finance Department at 360-394-9881 or Public Works at 360-779-4078.

Utility Billing Auto-Payment. The City offers auto-pay as an option to pay your utility bill. Have your payment automatically deducted from your bank account on the 20th of every month. Click here for additional details and an application. If you’d like an application mailed to you, please contact the Finance Department at (360) 394-9881.

BUSINESS & OCCUPATION (B&O) TAXES – DUE JANUARY 31

 

Fourth quarter and semi-annual B&O taxes are due January 31, 2025. 2024 will be the only semi-annual year due to our B&O tax program beginning July 1. Every single business must file a B&O/Multipurpose tax form by January 31, 2025.

  •  Non-profit organizations, who are exempt, must submit an annual zero return form by

January 31.

  • Exempt businesses, must submit an annual zero return form by January 31.
  • Business who do not meet the $20,000/year threshold, must submit an annual zero return by January 31.
  • Businesses filing a fourth quarter (October 1 – December 31) return for 2024, must submit by January 31.
  • Businesses filing a semi-annual (July 1 – December 31) return for 2024, must submit by January 31.
  • Do not submit B&O tax for January 1 – June 30, 2024. Poulsbo’s B&O tax program began July 1.

 

FileLocal offers a Taxpayer Quick Start Guide which provides step by step instructions to set-up a business account and link it to Poulsbo to pay taxes. A UBI number (9-digit UBI, business ID and business location ID is needed and can be found on the Department of Revenue website), which is also the business Poulsbo account number.

 

Online payments will be charged a convenience fee of $4.00, plus a $1.00 ACH debit service fee -or- 2.49% credit card fee for each form. No fees will be charged for a zero return.

 

Alternatively, forms are available online and can be paid multiple ways. Please keep reading!

 

Quick Facts

 

Making a payment

FileLocal: The preferred method for filing and paying Poulsbo B&O tax.

https://www.filelocal-wa.gov/

Drop Box: Drop off completed form and payment either in the drive-up drop box located on 3rd Avenue or the walk-up drop box located at the top of the stairs just outside the main entrance to City Hall located off Moe Street. These boxes are checked daily for payments.

In Person: Pay in person at Poulsbo City Hall with the 3rd Floor Cashier during City Hall Hours: Monday – Friday (8:00am – 4:30pm), excluding holidays. Please note the front counter is closed each weekday from 12:15pm - 1:15pm for lunch.

Mail: Completed form and payment may be mailed to: City of Poulsbo – Cashier, 200 NE Moe St, Poulsbo, WA 98370. Ensure it is postmarked no later than the due date to avoid penalties.

Online: Navigate to www.cityofpoulsbo.com. Click on PAY A CITY BILL, click OTHER CITY SERVICES PAYMENT, under the Payment Type, choose Other City Services, under the Account number or Reference cell, enter your UBI number, the amount and complete the Cardholder Information and Payment Information. Be sure to email a completed form to tax@cityofpoulsbo.com. The payment and form have to be received together to credit your account.

 

Resources

Job Openings

The City of Poulsbo is currently hiring. Click here to learn more details about open positions!

Poulsbo Garden Club

POULSBO GARDEN CLUB

Happy New Year! Come join The Poulsbo Garden Club where you will hear guest speakers, find friends who will help you get through the cold and dark winter, and get you ready for the blossoming spring and the colorful summer! Dues are only $20 a year. For more information, please email us at

PoulsboGardenClub@gmail.com

PGC meets on the 2nd Saturday of the month at Faith Episcopal Church located at

 20295 Little Valley Road, Poulsbo.

PGC Check out our new webpage: PoulsboGardenClub.org

January 11, 2025

Gardening to Support Pollinators

Come join us! Learn more on what we can do to support our local environment by understanding our vital pollinators.

Presenter: Kathryn Owens – Xerces Society 

February 8, 2025

Ever wonder how to grow and care for Dahlias?

Well, here is your chance to learn all about Dahlias. Please come and join the fun and leave with knowledge that you can use. Dahlia tubers will be for sale.

Growing and Propagating Dahlias

Presenter: Paul Kusche-Dahlia Society

The Judge's Corner.

Live Like You Were Moving



In 2004, Tim McGraw recorded Live like you were dying, a song that held the #1 position on the national music charts for seven weeks. The song reminds us to live to avoid regrets and undone things.


No, I am not dying. I am doing something senior citizens do slightly less commonly than dying: moving closer to kids and grandkids. Not far. About 10 miles south, still an easy commute to Poulsbo Municipal Court and my hometown for 46 years, Poulsbo.


Our move is more common than not. From a big house to a one-level (No stairs! A line of mine is “I used to have a fear of failing, now I have a fear of falling!”) rambler, two blocks away from a son, his wife and two grandkids.


Moving has required my wife and me to take stock of those put-off tasks. No more “We’ll do that next spring.” Next spring we’ll be living somewhere else.


Our mantra (involuntarily) changed from “We’ll get to that when we can” to “Evaluate, keep only things we will use, donate, throw away.”


Looking through photos and culling the duplicates, uninteresting, or no-people, scenery pictures was a chore often slowed by moments of memory and nostalgia. There were many memories that brought up an experience, adventure or person for a smile and, often, remembrance. But, also, there were many photos that brought on “Yes, the Indian Paint Brush in Yellowstone Park in 1986 was lovely, but not worth saving.” Now, those photos are shredded.    

     

I don’t know how I ended up with 53 different golf course pencils and 13 baseball-style hats with varying fly fishing shop and golf course logos. I must have thought “You can’t have enough.” Well, when you are moving, you can.


Through the process of moving I have learned many things about moving, and aging, and me. Lessons learned in the process include


1. Many things will be harder to get rid of than you imagine. A generation ago, many women had cedar chests. Few do now. Fortunately, my niece Jenny was delighted to take Grandma Tolman’s chest, and the piano that has been in our family since 1938. I have always been a collector. Golf ball markers. Sports autographs. Coins. I still have my baseball cards from my Little League years. Each was fun to collect, less fun to move. 


2. Many people will tell you “Just give me a call. I’ll be happy to help you move.” An inordinate number will have uncancellable plans on the time and date you need them.


3. The stuff in the garage attic you have planned to clean out for years is still there. Thinking about getting to it won’t change a thing. Moving is a verb, an action word, not a meditational act.


4. Live like you’ll be moving again in the future. Keep what you’ll use, get rid of what you won’t.


5. Be prepared to discover that your kids don’t want the “treasures” you have been saving for them over the decades. Though you can’t throw away the boxes of participation trophies, macaroni art and stories like “Fighting the Bear” they authored, they would prefer you did, rather than put them in the position to dispose of the items.


6. No one needs more than two cookbooks. Cookbooks are very heavy to move and all the recipes you’ll ever want or need are on the internet. Yes, it is nostalgic to read Mom’s handwritten recipes for sugar cookies and divinity, but how important will the recipe box be to your kids when you pass?


7. Spend one evening sitting in the living room, talking about the memorable times, events and people who have joined you there. Saying “goodbye” is an important part of closure before moving.


8. Most importantly, don’t leave the disposal of items to the kids when you die. I was once Personal Representative for a lady I had only met twice, who I didn’t know where she lived until she passed. Drudging through each a room of her house was simply work. No joy. An interesting find once in a while. Mostly just hard work. I have often heard people profess that “I’d do anything for my family.” OK, then, live like you were moving. To avoid regrets and undone things.


Copyright Jeff Tolman 2024. All rights reserved.            

Parks and Recreation Department Update

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