Commissioners direct hybrid public‑defense implementation plan after state caseload order

Thurston County commissioners on Sept. 10 directed county staff to plan a hybrid approach to implement the state Supreme Court’s public‑defense caseload standards: begin the 2026–27 biennium using the 10‑year budget projection, then ramp toward a 5‑year implementation in subsequent years. The board asked staff to model the proposal in the 2026–27 budget and to return with detailed hiring plans and updated costs.

Public Defender Patrick (surname not specified in the record) presented staffing models and two implementation alternatives: a five‑year straight‑line model and a ten‑year model. Using recent case assignment trends, staff projected that a five‑year implementation would require a larger near‑term budget increase than a slower ten‑year approach. During the meeting budget staff and commissioners discussed projections for the 2026–27 biennium: the presentation showed a 5‑year implementation built into the next biennium would require about $27 million, while a 10‑year approach would require about $22 million for the same period — a difference of roughly $5 million in the immediate biennium budget.

Patrick and county budget staff emphasized the projections are based on recent caseloads and several assumptions (salary ranges, support staff, and the number of assigned felony cases). They also noted recruiting challenges in the regional market for defense attorneys and the need for supporting positions (investigators, legal assistants and supervision) to make attorney hires effective and sustainable.

After discussion the board approved a staff motion to proceed with a combined approach: use the 10‑year figures as the starting projection for the 2026–27 budget modeling and then ramp to the 5‑year implementation in the following years. Commissioners asked that staff return with revised numbers, position requests and an implementation timeline that spells out year‑by‑year hires and costs; the board will act on positions and the final budget during the normal budget process.

Ending: Staff said they will build the board’s direction into the 2026–27 budget model, present detailed position requests and return each year with updated caseload and hiring recommendations. Commissioners noted they will continue advocacy for state funding and coordination with criminal justice partners to reduce overall caseload pressure.