PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County commissioners heave approved a new public defenders’ pact that increases the contract cost for 2008 and 2009 to handled increasing criminal caseloads.
The commissioners, meeting earlier this week, briefly discussed the matter before unanimously voting to boost the contract to $362,195 in 2008 and $393,497 in 2009.
The agreement is between the county and Jefferson Associated Counsel, which provides legal representation to those who cannot afford it.
In a separate but related action, the commissioners approved increasing the 2007 payments to $330,000 from $271,299.
Jefferson Associated Counsel stopped taking cases after the allotted number exceeded the contract amount.
As of Nov. 30, when the agency officially stopped taking District Court cases, its 2007 caseload amounted to 983, 473 more cases than the contract specifies.
The matter apparently got past county Administrator John Fischbach, who late last year told the commissioners: “We ran out of time. There’s a lot of things going on right now. No excuse.”
Fischbach announced Monday that he will resign his post, effective Feb. 15.
