City of Poulsbo November E-Newsletter | |
City of Poulsbo News You Can Use | |
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City Hall Closures
City Hall will be closed on Monday, November 11th in observance of Veteran's Day and on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th in observance of Thanksgiving. Please plan accordingly so that we may best serve you!
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Sunday November 3rd Daylight Savings Time Ends. Remember to set your clocks back one hour.
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Community Book Reading Event | |
Housing, Health and Human Services Department Update | |
Nordic Cottage Construction begins. After three years of fundraising, design, and planning, construction of the Nordic Cottage Project began with a celebratory groundbreaking on October 4. The Project is a partnership between local housing authority Housing Kitsap and the City of Poulsbo, with architectural services by Coates Design and construction by the BJC Group. When completed, the Cottages will provide eight deeply affordable homes for older adults and adults with disabilities. The City will maintain ownership of the property—and the land beneath it—to ensure permanent affordability. Please contact Kim at Housing, Health and Human Services if you’d like to add your name to our Cottages information list. kimberlyh@cityofpoulsbo.com. |  | |
City considers second house to promote recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Poulsbo City Council will consider a partnership with Kitsap Homes of Compassion to open a recovery home in Kingston at its November 6 meeting. The home, if opened, will provide a supportive environment for women recovering from substance use. The City has contracted with Gambit Recovery since early 2024 to create a recovery home for men at the historic Nelson House. Eight men have been assisted, in the home, with recovery services and job placement.
Recovery Resource Center turns one! The City’s Recovery Resource Center opened its doors in October 2023 to provide a free and friendly place for people to get help for drug and alcohol dependence. The Center had one employee when it launched, and, in its first few months, assisted a few dozen people. One year later, Housing, Health and Human Services employs five employees at the Center and works with six agencies to provide services. We help around 75 people each month through on-site services, resource navigation, and support groups. Family and friends always welcome.
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Planning and Economic Development Department Update | |
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The Department launched the interactive use of Geographic Information System (GIS) earlier this year with the leading efforts of our Planning Technician, Tiffany Simmons. For the first time, Poulsbo residents could utilize an interactive zoning map to find out information on properties in Poulsbo city limits and Urban Growth Area such as zoning, property size and ownership.
We are pleased to provide another GIS tool for the public, the Active Land Use Permits map. This map will allow users to identify projects that are under review and under construction. The map contains links to the permitting database for those interested in reviewing project plans. This tool will help to streamline inquiries and public engagement with ongoing projects.
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Engineering and Building Department Update | |
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Raab Park Play-for-All Project- You may have noticed the Play-for-All playground at Raab Park has been under construction this fall. The concrete walkway surrounding the main playground oval section has been poured and the seatwalls have been installed. The center of the oval has been prepped in anticipation of the installation of the new play equipment. Forming and pouring concrete continues for the plaza, along with additional seatwalls for extra seating. Donor plaques will soon be installed in the plaza.
Once completed, the new playground will include fully inclusive ADA-accessible play equipment and sensory stations.
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Rotary Morrow Community Park- This new community park tucked in at the corner of Noll Road and Mesford Street will provide ADA accessible trails for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as playground equipment and a picnic area that will serve this rapidly growing residential area. Surveying the project site is near completion and the contractor is working with the City Arborist to define the construction clearing limits and tree removal. | |
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Marine Science Center Lift Station Generator Project- A new generator was installed earlier this month, and the project will be completed by November. The purpose of the project is to provide emergency standby generation to the Marine Science Center Sewer Lift station in the event of a power outage. This provides resilience and redundancy to our system.
Nordic Cottages Project- Groundbreaking took place on Friday, October 4 for the new Nordic Cottages residential development, located at 609 NE Lincoln Road (aka “The Triangle Property”) adjacent to Gateway Fellowship Church. Utility work is currently underway, with foundation work to follow. Nordic Cottages will provide eight affordable apartments near downtown and is a partnership between the City of Poulsbo and Housing Kitsap.
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Poulsbo Fire Station #76- A new 6,700 square foot satellite fire station is planned for 19145 Viking Avenue to help better serve the Poulsbo community, particularly the west side of the city and the Scandia/Keyport area. Tree clearing began at the end of October, with grading and construction to begin next year.
Oslo Bay Apartments- Mass grading has been completed for the first phase of the Oslo Bay Apartments, which will include 468 muti-family residential units on SR 305 and SR 307 at Bond Road. Erosion control and stabilization methods have been implemented, as well. The next element of work will be to install onsite underground utilities. Please check our website at https://cityofpoulsbo.com/oslobayapartments/ for more information and updates as the project progresses. (Photo below courtesy of Seton Construction).
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Noll Road Corridor- We are nearing completion on the design of the north segment of the Noll Road Corridor, between Mesford Road and Lincoln Road, with construction planned for early 2025. Improvements include roadway, streetlighting, sidewalk, bike lane, and shared use path improvements. For more information about the Noll Road Corridor Improvements project, visit our website at https://cityofpoulsbo.com/noll-road-corridor-project. | |
Reduce Flooding by Keeping Storm Drains Clear | |
Did you know?
The City of Poulsbo inspects approximately 1,500 catch basins per year! Fall brings wet weather and falling leaves, increasing the potential for flooding.
To help our Public Works staff reduce flooding:
- Do not blow or sweep leaves into the road or storm drains.
- Dispose of leaves by turning them into compost or putting them in curbside yard waste bins.
- Clear gutters and downspouts of leaves and debris.
- Use a rake or broom to remove leaves from the top of storm drains near your property. Do not lift storm drain grates or clean inside catch basins.
Still having flooding issues after clearing nearby storm drains?
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Finance Department Update | |
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. | |
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BUSINESS & OCCUPATION TAXES - IT’S NOT TOO LATE!
As the Business and Occupation (B&O) tax program began July 1, 2024, the City understands a new program takes time to develop. If you haven’t created your business account on FileLocal, it’s not too late! The sooner the account is created, the sooner you will be in compliance.
FileLocal offers a Taxpayer Quick Start Guide that provides step by step instructions to set up your business account and link it to Poulsbo to pay your taxes. You’ll need your UBI number (9-digit UBI, business ID and business location ID – found on the Department of Revenue website), which will be your Poulsbo account number.
Third quarter (July 1 – September 30) B&O taxes are due now. Fourth quarter (October 1 – December 31) are due January 31, 2025. Annual taxes (July 1 – December 31) are also due January 31, 2025.
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!
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Quick Facts
- Businesses will be exempt from paying the City’s B&O tax if annual gross revenue is less than $20,000, however a zero-return tax form is required to be submitted annually (due January 31).
- Businesses will be requested to submit the tax quarterly, unless they do not meet the annual gross revenue amount of $100,000.
- Non-profit organizations are exempt from paying the City’s B&O tax but are required to file an annual zero return by January 31.
- The tax rate for all classifications of business is .2%, (.002) and there are two thresholds for exemptions:
Exemption 1: The first $20,000 of taxable gross revenue earned annually (or $5,000 per quarter) that is not subject to retail sales tax is exempt from the Poulsbo B&O tax.
Exemption 2: The first $125,000 of taxable gross revenue earned annually (or $31,250 per quarter) that is subject to retail sales tax is exempt from the Poulsbo B&O tax.
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 of 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.
Resources
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The City of Poulsbo is currently hiring. Click here to learn more details about open positions! | |
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Feeling dreary? Come join The Poulsbo Garden Club where you will hear guest speakers and find gardening friends who will help you get through the drab fall and winter and be 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
Check out our new webpage: PoulsboGardenClub.org
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November 9th Meeting - House Plants and Bulbs
This will be a twofold event. First, we will have a houseplant troubleshooting and recommendation panel consisting of houseplant experts, Gail Pignon, Fran Powell, and guest gesneriad (African violet family) expert Mary Jane Tyler. The second part will be planting bulbs for forcing (or not forcing) into containers each club member will supply. Members may bring a shallow container that will fit in their fridge for bulbs. The club will supply species of bulbs and soil. We will have a short talk on planting and forcing bulbs. The meeting is open to the public. Donations for bulbs appreciated.
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December 14th Meeting - Holiday Celebration
Member only event
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Conversational Math
I have a friend - Burt, I’ll call him, because I don’t really know anyone named Burt – about whom I care a great deal. He is interesting, smart, and well-traveled. Off the top of his head, for example, he could likely tell you the square root of 5776. Unfortunately, he doesn’t do well with simple conversational math.
Conversational math is a simple concept: divide the conversation time by the number of participants. The answer - 50% each for two people, 25% each for four conversationalists - is the percentage of time each person should spend talking. The reminder of the time should be spent listening.
My friend fails that test annoyingly often. No matter who the other conversationalists
are, or how many there are, or the information they are trying to convey, Burt tries to tell them tales, teach them lessons, and entertain them. Speaking with my friend, often - too often - ends up as a monologue more than a dialogue.
Years ago, four siblings came into my law office to discuss the death of their surviving parent. The oldest held a pencil and immediately placed it in the center of the conference table.
After my remarks about the process ahead, one of the siblings picked up the pencil and began her questions and comments. No one interrupted or attempted to finish her story. When she was done (stories go remarkably quickly and stay much more on point when no verbal wrestling occurs!), she placed the pencil back on the table. One of her siblings picked up the pencil and began his questions and comments. Again, no interruptions, just lots of concentration on what the person was saying. Finally, I couldn’t help but ask about the pencil and procedure.
The four siblings told me about “the talking pencil;” that their parents used the implement to keep conversation on-point, concise, and moving forward in an organized way. They had found, also, that, in the end, each participant was able to share their views and better hear and understand the opinions of others. They noted that without fighting for conversational domination, close “conversational math” percentages were easy to experience.
The next time I see Burt, I will bring a writing tool along, and tell him about the interesting, organized and respectful four siblings I’d recently met. No, he’ll have no idea the vignette could relate to him…if he lets me finish my thought. At least, maybe, after noting that the square root of 5,776 is 76, he’ll note that half of two conversationalists is 50%.
Conversational math needs to be taught in schools and practiced on the streets, creating a new three Rs - reading, writing and conversational “(a)rithmatic.” To help, all assignments must be done in pencil.
Copyright Jeff Tolman 2024. All rights reserved.
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Parks and Recreation Department Update | |
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Volunteer Vacancy. Poulsbo's Parks and Recreation Commission has a vacancy. If you know of a quality candidate, please have them apply!
You may now find a role description for P&R Commissioner via the webpage Parks and Recreation Commission Webpage *under Resources section.
Please use the application found on the above webpages or link to it here for convenience: Boards and Commissions Volunteer Application. We appreciate follow-up calls to verify applications were received! Parks and Recreation Main Line: (360) 779-9898
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