Public defender services to rise
Published 5:00 pm Monday, March 30, 2026
PORT ANGELES — Clallam County will pay nearly 3 percent more this year for its public defender professional services agreement.
Chief Financial Officer Mark Lane told the county commissioners Monday about the recently agreed upon terms of services contract between the county and Clallam County Public Defender for indigent public defense services.
The nearly 3 percent increase in overall costs brings the county’s agreement up to more than $2.3 million for 2026.
The agreement provides staff 1.5 percent cost-of-living-adjustments (COLAs), which went into effect in January, and another 1.5 percent COLA increase to go into effect in July, Lane said.
A major change comes from the county’s new caseload and case weighting standards that were adopted last year. District Court cases per attorney will drop from 400 cases to 282 while felony Superior Court cases will drop from 150 to 139.7 per attorney. Juvenile misdemeanor cases will be held to a maximum of 282 per attorney.
“So the good news on this contract is, based upon the volume of cases that we saw last year and that we’ve carried forward into this year, it appears that Clallam Public Defender will have sufficient staff and so will not require additional staff to support the volumes assuming those volumes that we see in 2026 are not materially different from 2025,” Lane said.
There is a provision in the contract that opens it back up in the event that caseload appears to exceed the standards, he added.
A positive aspect of the contract is that, while the total amount for the year did increase, it remains about $31,000 less than what the financial department anticipated while putting together the 2026 budget, Lane said.
Clallam County Public Defender Director Harry Gasnick told commissioners his office should be able to meet the overall needs of the county as long as staffing levels remain the same.
“We anticipate because of how this phase-in approach is relative to the ongoing reduction of authorized caseloads per attorney that in 2027 we will likely need more staffing,” Gasnick said.
Gasnick said he plans to actively recruit for new attorneys.
Commissioners are slated to approve the agreement during the regular meeting today.
Pulling Together in Restoration
Also Monday, commissioners heard an update from 10,000 Years Institute Executive Director Jill Silver on the organization’s Pulling Together in Restoration (PTIR) program, which is the coastal watershed invasive plant prevention and watershed restoration program funded by the state Recreation Office through the Washington Coast Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (WCRRI).
The organization’s invasive plant focus for future-proofing watersheds includes removing scotch broom, reed canarygrass, spotted jewelweed and everlasting pea vine, spotted knapweed and orange hawkweed.
“Everlasting pea vine is just hell on wheels going down the Sol Duc Valley, going down Indian Valley,” Silver said. “You can’t restore with that plant there. Nobody in restoration is approaching that plant.”
The 10,000 Years Institute has stopped the plant’s spread in west and north Clallam County, she said.
“We have crews that are doing early detection, rapid response,” Silver said.
The institute covers more than just Clallam County, as it works from west of Lake Crescent south to Westport.
Since 2021, the 10,000 Years Institute has put forth 37,492.69 hours of work across 9,910.88 acres of surveyed land, 2,904.16 acres of which were infested by invasive species and then treated.
The update came with a request for commissioners to send a letter of support to the WCRRI’s Review Committee as the 10,000 Years Institute seeks funding for phase 7 of the PTIR.
“Since 2015, WCRRI funding for the Pulling Together in Restoration program has brought significant resources to the county for rural employment and our Noxious Weed Control and Conservation District programs and projects,” a draft letter states. “PTIR reaches out across jurisdictional boundaries to provide persistent and continued protection for productive forests, healthy river and floodplain habitats, protecting our natural resources-based economy across the north and west Olympic Peninsula.”
Continued funding for the program will allow the 10,000 Years Institute “to continue providing meaningful employment and these critical services and education to the local community as a valuable partner in Clallam County and many others in restoration and resiliency on the coast,” the letter states.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
