Public questions county budget items tied to Bauer retrial; staff explain court-ordered defense and expert witness costs

A resident raised questions at the Sept. 9 Clallam County commissioners meeting about two line items in the preliminary county budget related to the Bauer retrial, asking why taxpayers must cover expert-witness costs. County staff explained the expenses result from a state-court remand requiring a new trial.

Theresa Miller, a Sequim resident, noted the county’s preliminary 2026 budget shows $75,000 under the auditor’s section for expert services anticipated for the Bauer retrial and $10,000 in the prosecuting attorney’s section for expert witnesses. She said she did not understand why taxpayers should pay those amounts for a retrial of someone already convicted.

A county staff member responding during public comment described the case as one that had been tried previously in Clallam County, was appealed in state courts, and was remanded back to the county for retrial. The staff member said the county is required to provide indigent defense resources and that, because the case involves multiple homicides (described in the meeting as a triple‑murder case), the retrial raises additional evidentiary and expert-witness needs. The staff member said the county must provide access to reasonable tools, including expert witnesses, to both defense and prosecution as part of the remand process.

Why it matters: The items appear in the county’s preliminary budget and reflect court-ordered obligations the county expects to meet if the retrial proceeds. The county representative framed the line items as necessary to comply with appellate instructions and to ensure a legally defensible retrial.

Discussion versus decision: This was public comment and staff explanation about budgeted amounts; no vote or budget adoption occurred at the Sept. 9 meeting.