Study: Forming a College Place municipal court would cost hundreds of thousands more than current interlocal agreement

A consultant for the National Center for State Courts told the College Place City Council on Oct. 7 that an independent municipal court would be substantially more expensive than the city’s current interlocal agreement with Walla Walla County District Court and would raise operational and facility questions that the city would have to resolve before moving forward.

“The National Center is not here to say you should do one or the other,” Abby Kushiel, principal court management consultant, said. The city asked the center to analyze whether it should maintain its interlocal agreement, or form a municipal court of its own.

Kushiel said the consulting team reviewed the city’s interlocal agreement (the 2013–2023 agreement was the most recent provided), court case filings, staffing and budgets from comparative courts, and state statutes. The consultants visited College Place in May, interviewed a cross-section of stakeholders, and produced a draft 70-page report that will be finalized in the coming weeks.

Why it matters

The study found that College Place’s current payments for district court services have risen in recent years — the city’s annual payment was about $110,000 in 2020, $151,000 in 2024, and consultants estimate roughly $188,000 for 2025 based on invoices to date. By contrast, Kushiel said the center’s projection for an independent municipal court put…