Auburn council votes to end contract with King County, moves to reestablish municipal court

The Auburn City Council voted 5–2 on May 5 to authorize Mayor Nancy Backus to give written notice terminating the interlocal agreement with King County that provides district court services, a step the council said is intended to allow Auburn to establish its own municipal court and related operations.

The decision follows public comment and a lengthy council debate about three options presented to the city: keep full services with King County; keep King County court services but bring probation in-house; or end the contract and stand up a city-run municipal court. Council member Sturgis moved the resolution to terminate the interlocal agreement; Council member Ammer seconded the motion. The motion passed by recorded voice vote, 5 in favor and 2 opposed.

King County District Court officials attended the meeting to explain the county’s view of recent fiscal changes that prompted the contract discussion. "My name is Corina Harn. I am the assistant presiding judge for King County District Court," Judge Harn said during public comment, and she and other court officials described how changes in state case law and county budgeting had reduced cost recovery for probation services and led the county to present a new full-cost model to contracting cities.

King County staff said one driver was a decline in court fees that historically funded probation work; "the Supreme Court decided that courts ... could no longer assess fines and costs against indigent defendants," a King County representative said in the meeting and explained how that changed revenue available for probation services. King County representatives outlined that cities faced choices, including providing probation locally under the ILA or adjusting to the county’s revised cost model.

Council members debated fiscal risk, local control, public safety, and community input. Council member Baldwin urged a cautious approach and proposed an amendment to notify King County only that Auburn would provide its own probation services rather than terminating the full ILA. Baldwin described the middle option as the most affordable path and said it would “give us runway to prepare if we would ever want to change in the future.” That amendment failed in a subsequent vote, and the full termination motion succeeded.

Supporters of ending the ILA told the council they had heard sustained concern from residents and business owners about public safety and local accountability. "We need to consider taking our court back," public commenter Ron Morgan said, arguing Auburn should be able to appoint local judges and set local priorities. Opponents cautioned against proceeding without a full cost and start-up budget; council members including Baldwin warned the city lacked a clear startup cost estimate for a city-run court and that the most expensive option could be $3.5 million annually plus unknown startup expenditures.

The council’s resolution authorizes the mayor to provide written notice under the existing interlocal agreement to terminate the contract; it does not itself set an implementation timeline or an explicit startup budget. City staff told the council that the county had set a notice deadline tied to county budgeting and that the city had been working on the issue since 2023, with recent changes discussed in March and April.

Next steps specified during the meeting are procedural: the mayor will issue written notice to King County per the interlocal agreement. The council did not adopt a public timeline or a detailed funding plan for establishing municipal court operations during the meeting. Council members and staff said additional planning and budgeting steps will be needed if the city proceeds to implement a municipal court and associated probation services.

The action will affect where Auburn residents are arraigned, how probation and some court services are delivered, and local responsibilities for court staffing and facilities. City officials said they will return to the council with implementation details and cost estimates as those are developed.