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Council instructed staff to explore extending Pacific Point Defense contract as public‑defense rules change
Summary
City staff presented a proposed amendment to the Pacific Point Defense contract that would raise 2025 compensation to align with updated indigent‑defense standards; council asked staff to explore extending the contract through 2026 and to examine funding options including state HB 2015.
Michael Vargas, the city’s analyst for the Pacific Point Defense contract, summarized a proposed 2025 amendment that would increase the city’s compensation for court‑appointed public‑defense services and outlined near‑term funding options as state rules for public defenders change.
Vargas said the 2025 amendment before council would raise the city’s annual contract amount to about $890,000 for the year — a rise from the current baseline — to cover additional supervising‑attorney time and office expenses that Washington State Bar Association indigent‑defense standards recommend. He said these proposed increases reflect the bar’s…
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