POULSBO — The debate over the city’s proposed Critical Areas Ordinance didn’t end Wednesday night as some had hoped. Instead, Mayor Kathryn Quade and the city council pushed the issue onto their New Year’s resolutions.

Despite the council’s inability to review the entire ordinance before Wednesday’s public hearing, city officials decided to hear from residents before taking further testimony at the Jan. 10, 2007 council meeting.

“Tonight, as the council has not completed discussing the entire document, we’re going to continue the hearing to Jan. 10 and will have a council workshop Jan. 3,” Quade said in opening the hearing to the public.

At Tuesday’s council workshop on the ordinance, the majority of the council indicated its support of 150-feet buffers for Johnson and Bjorgen creeks, which far exceeds the city consultant’s recommendation of 45- to 75-foot setbacks for those tributaries. Johnson Creek is located in the northwest part of the city near Viking Avenue, while Bjorgen Creek is located near Noll Road in the southeast part of the city.

“I applaud the five members of the council who support the 150-feet buffer or Johnson Creek,” said Johnson Creek Association member Bob Bergum. “The Johnson Creek Association tried to bring to the city council’s attention the importance of protecting Johnson Creek.”

After moving to Poulsbo from California, Bergum said he and his wife have observed firsthand the variety of wildlife that live in the Johnson Creek Corridor including coho and chum salmon, which survive despite the damage done to the creek by the detention ponds built to serve College Marketplace.

“Our goal is to educate the council and save the creek from further development,” Bergum said. “We need to save this for us and future generations.”

However, not every property owner along the creek agreed with the JCA’s claim that Johnson Creek is a productive salmon stream.

“Last year’s salmon count showed only 70 salmon returned to Johnson Creek,” said Linda Berry-Maraist. “Most of us care about the creek and want to see it taken care of responsibly.”

The city consultant’s report was accurate, and if the council doesn’t believe the report is in-depth enough, the property owners need time to make their case, Berry-Maraist said.

“The people that are on Johnson Creek are going to be guilty until proved innocent,” she said. “We would like the chance to make our case.”

Instead of prohibiting all development along the creek, the council should allow for responsible development, Berry-Maraist said.

Noll Road Association president Becky Erickson agreed with Berry-Maraist that the council shouldn’t necessarily exclude all development in wetlands buffers and stream setbacks.

“When people prove they are going to build in a responsible manner, let them intrude,” Erickson said. “If they don’t, we, the community, still have protection.”

At the conclusion of the hearing, Councilwoman Connie Lord made a point to thank those who offered their opinions on the proposed ordinance.

“It really helps to have so many people be so explicit in their comments,” Lord said.