The Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners approved addendums to two existing indigent defense contracts to redistribute cases after an attorney's departure.
Details: Commissioners authorized additional contracted payments for two appointed defense counsel. County staff said the addendums move 25 cases to one attorney, Julie Carlson Straub, bringing her to 100 appointments but still under the county cap of 150; the addendum added $20,510.22 through Dec. 31, 2025 to cover the extra cases. A second addendum for attorney Kohlberg raised her end-of-year allocation by $61,530.72 to cover additional appointments through Dec. 31, 2025, as workloads were redistributed.
Why it matters: The county said one defense attorney left the panel, and the remaining contracted counsel have agreed to take extra appointments to prevent gaps in representation. The addendums compensate counsel at the established per-case rate for the remainder of the year.
Formal actions: Commissioners moved, seconded and approved both addendums by roll call, each vote 3-0.
Context: County staff confirmed the changes are budgeted within the existing indigent legal services funds and do not alter the established per-case payment methodology. Commissioners thanked counsel for carrying the additional caseload.