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City staff cite higher costs, legislation as drivers of large 2025 increase in Feldman & Lee public-defense contract
Summary
Staff told council the city’s contract with Feldman and Lee for misdemeanor public defense will rise sharply for 2025 because of higher labor costs, recent legislation, and lack of prior CPI indexing; the firm requested a one-year contract.
Paul, a city staff member, told the council that Feldman and Lee — the city’s public defense provider since 2007 — has proposed a contract for 2025 that reflects a substantial cost increase. Paul attributed the rise to three factors: higher labor costs for attorneys, recent legislation affecting public defense, and the absence of a built‑in CPI escalation in prior multi‑year agreements.
Paul said the firm asked for only a one‑year contract for 2025 because of uncertainty about further legislative changes. “The cost of doing the services has just gone up,” he said, and added that staff told the firm they prefer future multi‑year contracts with CPI indexed annual increases to avoid large single‑year adjustments.
Councilmember Jan Schweddy asked about a list of preauthorized nonroutine expenses in the contract and how much those typically add in a year; Paul said he did not have a specific annual figure at the meeting and will monitor comparable contracts in nearby cities. The discussion was informational; no final contract approval was recorded at the meeting.
The presentation also noted other nearby cities face similar pressures and some are seeking alternative legal-service providers. Staff said they will report back on options and on any future proposals for CPI indexing in multi‑year contracts.
