POULSBO — The Port of Poulsbo Board of Commissioners will host a “town hall” meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 to discuss Proposition 1, which asks voters to enlarge the port district’s boundaries to the city limits.
At the meeting, residents who live in the proposed annexation area will have the opportunity to discuss the proposition with port officials.
The meeting will take place in the Poulsbo City Hall council chambers.
The port district was established by local voters in 1951, but in the ensuing years its boundaries remained unchanged as the city, which is a separate entity, grew. As a result, about half of the city is outside the port district. Advocates of annexation say that’s inequitable, because it means half the city supports a port district that benefits the entire city.
The port district’s last annexation effort, in February 2014, failed by a margin of 534 votes. That measure was more ambitious; the port district had proposed annexing communities on both sides of Liberty Bay. But among voters within the Poulsbo city limits, the measure failed by about 56 votes.
In a column in the Sept. 9 North Kitsap Herald, Port Commissioner Stephen L. Swann wrote that the additional annual revenue that would be generated by the annexation — $140,000, according to Swann — would help pay for the removal of more than 1,100 creosoted pilings forming the aged breakwater. And that would mean a healthier Liberty Bay, which benefits everyone.
In an earlier column, he wrote, “I explored several funding options for the next major capital expenditure for the Port District … removal of the creosote-coated breakwater and its replacement with an environmentally-friendly, floating breakwater.
“Voting ‘yes’ in November to enlarge the Port District to more closely match the Poulsbo city limits will increase bond funding by an additional $1.3 million. Also, annual tax revenue will increase by approximately $140,000. While this new revenue may not sound significant, it will go a long way in making monthly payments on the money the port will need to borrow for the breakwater and creosote removal project. …
“The bottom line is not complicated: a vote ‘YES’ for enlargement on the November ballot is necessary to assure the future of the marina and the Port of Poulsbo.”
31 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation
Port districts were created by state law — RCW 53.04.010 — as economic development engines. The law states:
“Port districts are hereby authorized to be established in the various counties of the state for the purposes of acquisition, construction, maintenance, operation, development and regulation within the district of harbor improvements, rail or motor vehicle transfer and terminal facilities, water transfer and terminal facilities, air transfer and terminal facilities, or any combination of such transfer and terminal facilities, and other commercial transportation, transfer, handling, storage and terminal facilities, and industrial improvements.”
The Poulsbo Port District is supported in part by a property tax levy of 31 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. That’s $94.19 a year for a median-priced home of $292,000. The port’s 2016 budget is $1.3 million, with $10,671 being put into the reserve.
The port district owns and operates Poulsbo Marina; an FAA-designated seaplane base at the north end of the marina; and a public parking lot on Jensen Way, with 56 parking stalls, four electric-car charging stations, and 12 stalls for RVs and vehicles with trailers.
The marina has guest moorage, permanent moorage and transient moorage. Among the marina’s amenities is one of the last remaining tidal grids in Puget Sound, which can be used for vessel inspections and light-duty maintenance.
