POULSBO — The push for a downtown city hall has apparently caught the eye of one group of potential voters: members of the Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce.

In an informal, non-official poll of its members in October, 62 percent of the business owners who responded favored the downtown location. Only 38 percent favored the 10th Avenue location.

“There were several comments offered supporting both locations, but the majority did prefer the downtown location for city hall,” said chamber executive director Stuart Leidner.

While the majority of chamber members live within Poulsbo’s city limits, many do not and will be unable to vote in the Nov. 7 election, Leidner said.

“It gives a representative view of how important this issue is for local businesses and what their perceptions are,” he said, noting that ultimately, voters need review all of the possibilities and make an informed decision on the issue. “Each will have an economic benefit to one area or the other.”

The question at hand whether voters want to have city hall as part of a vibrant downtown or at a standalone site, he said.

“As people look at the information, they’re going to have to decide what’s best going to serve the community,” he said.

As for the potential impacts of the poll on the election, Leidner declined comment.

However, Councilman Ed Stern said the poll has only one area of relevance in the final decision about where to put city hall.

“It means something to the extent that there has been a lot of confusion around the issue of parking,” Stern said, noting that those taking sides on the matter assert there is or isn’t a parking solution depending on the city hall location.

“The issue has been handled like silly putty,” Stern said. “Since we hold the purse strings, it is of concern.”

While Stern was critical of the poll, Mayor Kathryn Quade praised the chamber for its effort to engage business and property owners in the city hall discussion.

Since many business and property owners live outside the city, they aren’t able to vote on issues within the city that affect them directly, Quade said.

“Many of these people don’t have the opportunity to engage us formally, so this is a good indication of what their thoughts are,” she said.