PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners will continue gathering evidence before they build a case for a third judge in Superior Court.
Specifically, they will ask the county prosecuting attorney, public defender, court clerk and sheriff how much they think another court will cost.
Commissioners on Monday promised to decide within a week whether to support the court’s request for a third judge, despite urging by Judge George Wood to do so immediately.
“We can’t avoid a third judge with the way the county is growing,” Wood told commissioners in a work session Monday.
“As the population increases, I think we’re going to see more crime.”
Wood said he didn’t anticipate additional costs of a third judge beyond the salary the county will share with the state, plus some clerical expenses.
In any case, it probably will take at least two years before the state Legislature approves the position, he said.
Commissioners’ responses
Commissioner Mike Chapman, R-Port Angeles, was dubious, however.
“We’re telling everybody else, ‘We’re not looking at anything new,”‘ Chapman said, referring to requests for additional county employees.
Commissioner Steve Tharinger, D-Dungeness, pressed for approval to ease the two current judges’ load.
“The thing is, the people can’t get a civil case heard,” he said concerning civil trials being delayed by an overload of criminal proceedings.
But Commissioner Mike Doherty, D-Port Angeles, said he wanted to see some sort of bottom line.
“What’s the cost to the system of a third judge?” he asked. “How big a decision is this?”
Doherty said input from other criminal-justice agencies would strengthen the county’s case for a third judge when it came time to lobby it through the Legislature.