PORT ANGELES — Clallam County has extended a contract with Clallam Public Defender to provide legal defense to those who can’t afford an attorney.
The three commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved a one-year agreement with the nonprofit firm that has been providing indigent defense in Clallam County for more than three decades.
The $1.14 million modified contract is the same amount the county has budgeted for public defense in 2016.
“I think this is a very fair agreement,” County Administrator Jim Jones told commissioners in a board work session Monday.
The one-year deal, which was negotiated by Jones and Clallam Public Defender Director Harry Gasnick, accounts for the consolidation of misdemeanor law and justice services for the county and cities of Port Angeles and Sequim.
“Harry’s office has agreed to pick up all the additional work that we are now responsible for in District Court,” Jones told the board.
“And I think it’s a very good extension.”
The county’s existing three-year pact with Clallam Public Defender expires at the end of this year.
“The parties recognized that the one-year idea was the best we could do given what the particular circumstances were,” Gasnick said in a Tuesday interview.
“I would like to think that eventually, a more stable resolution will be accomplished.”
Last fall, the county issued a request for proposals from indigent defense providers.
Clallam Public Defender’s original bid was $1.19 million.
Former Prosecuting Attorney William Payne proposed to cover District Court for $418,000. Payne withdrew his bid Dec. 14.
Lose money
By agreeing to a $1.14 million contract, Clallam Public Defender will likely “lose money on this deal,” Jones said.
Salaries for public defenders are tied to a state Supreme Court decision that established indigent defense standards and salaries that deputy prosecuting attorneys receive.
“We’re looking for any way we can to trim [Gasnick’s] costs, and yet this is a contract that we both believe can be moved forward for next year,” Jones said.
Clallam County will allow Clallam Public Defender to use its document shredding system and online legal research service to reduce costs to the agency, Jones said.
Next year, commissioners will decide whether to renew a long-term contract with Clallam Public Defender.
“We are pleased that the county seems to want to take a comprehensive look at the public defense delivery system,” Gasnick said.
“Hopefully, the county will be able to come up with a plan that will provide for greater stability.”
Commissioner Mike Chapman thanked Gasnick in the work session for his cooperation.
In other board action, commissioners Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution expanding the membership of the county Trust Lands Advisory Committee from 16 to a maximum of 20.
Commissioners formed the committee at the request of the Charter Review Commission to examine state management of county trust lands.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
