Following public pressure from downtown business owners, employees and community members, the Poulsbo City Council voted to not move forward with paid parking implementation this summer.

It was a tight 4-3 vote, with Councilmembers Gary McVey, Britt Livdahl and Rick Eckert voting in favor, and Councilmembers Doug Newell, Pam Crowe, Ed Stern and Doug Taber voting against.

“I will not be supporting a paid parking model,” Stern said. “I think we need to first look at an incremental approach. When you can’t get from A to Z at once, you phase it. I am committed to phasing this.”

Many people spoke during public comments about the opposition to paid parking downtown, which was prior to the vote of the council.

“Our community does not support paid parking,” Mike Perry said, owner of Timeless Cuts on Front Street. “Downtown is a vital hub for our city bringing residents and visitors to small businesses that depend on free access to thrive. Introducing paid parking could discourage people from coming downtown.”

Whitney Sims, owner of Wild Society Boutique Salon, added: “Your community feels betrayed, taken advantage of and enraged. You are losing the trust of the community at a rapid pace. You have an opportunity right now to make a huge statement to the community.”

The council will now vote at its March 19 meeting on a phased approach that starts with signage changes, employee parking and enforcement this year and then the implementation of paid parking at some city-owned spaces in summer of 2026.

The proposal that the council voted against was to launch improvements with the goal of summer 2025 implementation of improved signage, designated employee parking, enforcement and paid parking in certain locations.

“I want businesses to be able to truly grow because we are able to invest in more parking,” Livdahl said. “I’m concerned that if we don’t move forward with (paid parking in 2025) we will never regain this momentum. There is never going to be a time when this community says ‘yes, please. Assess paid parking downtown.’”

McVey said: “The reason I’ve been supportive of this approach is it is the only option to my knowledge that provides a source of revenue to add future parking capacity. If we don’t have a source of revenue from these 40% of spaces for paid parking, the chances of adding to parking capacity in downtown Poulsbo are slim to none in the next 20 years.”

Eckert noted that if the council doesn’t go through with paid parking, the only way to enforce the current parking is to dedicate a police officer to it. “I don’t think that’s what we want to do. If we don’t use a cop, then we have to hire someone just for parking enforcement.”

There are 274 parking spaces that are proposed for paid parking, which is about 40% of the city-owned spots downtown. The remaining 60% would remain free parking. Walker Consultants proposed paid parking in Anderson Parkway, Front Street to Hostmark Street to the King Olaf parking lot, Jensen Street to Front St. and Iverson Street, and Moe Street and 3rd Avenue, per city documents.

Paid parking would be $2 an hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., per documents The council is still discussing how many days a week it would be enforced. Revenue collected from paid parking would go toward management and enforcement of the program, signage and information displays, create an employee parking program downtown, increased public safety and creating more parking capacity downtown, documents read.

Regarding employee parking, a program of 42 spaces would be established at the King Olaf parking lot with a cost of $20 a month per employee.

“Sooner or later this is going to have to be addressed, and it won’t be me,” outgoing Mayor Becky Erickson said. “I’m warning you you’re playing with fire if you don’t address this.”