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Council adopts higher fee schedule for assigned counsel as public defender prepares to depart
Summary
The Council approved a resolution updating the county's attorney fee schedule for assigned counsel not under contract, following an explanation from Public Defender Alex Fritz that the county needs higher rates to attract out‑of‑area attorneys during a staffing transition.
Alex Fritz, San Juan County's public defender, told the council he will leave the county (reporting that his last day was tentatively set as May 31) and described a staffing shortfall that requires higher pay to secure contract attorneys. Fritz said the market has changed since the county's current fee schedule was adopted and that neighboring counties pay substantially more for felony work—Island County was cited as an example.
Fritz told the council that the county has "about 30 to 40, actually, maybe even 50 cases that are in need of reassignment right now and new cases coming in the door every day," and that higher compensation for assigned counsel would help ensure constitutionally mandated representation while the office recruits a successor. Linnea Anderson, director of Superior Court Services, supported the change and described the screening office's difficulty finding attorneys willing to travel to island hearings and take assignments.
Nut graf: To address the immediate need for attorneys during a transition in the public defender's office and to better align compensation with regional rates, the council voted to adopt an updated fee schedule for assigned counsel not under contract with the county.
County staff provided a packet comparing the current schedule and the proposed rates and said the full fiscal impact would be determined later. County management noted that while the proposed hourly rates are higher for some categories, the county's annual noncontract public defense budget (with a filled public defender position) was modest (county manager estimated about $20,000) and salary savings while the position is filled could offset some near‑term costs. Staff said they would return with more concrete cost estimates during later budget amendments if required.
The council voted to approve a resolution adopting the updated attorney fee schedule for assigned counsel not under contract with San Juan County. The resolution passed by voice vote.
Ending: Council directed staff to track the fiscal impact and said they would consider any necessary budget adjustments during upcoming amendments.
