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Council approves amendments to conflict public defense contracts after state order reducing case caps
Summary
Following a Washington State Supreme Court order reducing the maximum annual caseload per public defender from 400 to 120, the city approved amendments to conflict public defense contracts (Ross Law and Valley Defenders) to add case‑standard language and increase compensation to recruit and retain attorneys.
Kent’s council approved amendments on Nov. 18 to two conflict public defense services agreements to incorporate case‑standard language required by a Washington State Supreme Court order and to increase compensation to recruit and retain additional attorneys.
Brian Levenhagen, filling in for the law department, told the council that the court’s June 2025 order lowers the maximum number of cases a public defender may handle per year from 400 to 120 and allows a ten‑year phased implementation with a 10% reduction per year. The contract amendments update the city’s agreements with Ross Law and Valley Defenders to add the mandated case‑standard language and to extend contract end dates where necessary to accommodate recruitment and training.
Council authorized the mayor to sign the amendments and to amend the budget as needed to cover increased costs; motions were approved by voice vote.
