Kittitas County board approves summer Rule 9 intern for Public Defense

On May 13, 2025, the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners approved a request to create a Rule 9 intern position in the County Department of Public Defense. Public Defense Director Murphy requested the position and said it would be fully grant-funded and limited to the summer months; the board approved the request as recorded in the session minutes.

The minutes state only that “Public Defense Director Murphy requested Board approval to create a Rule 9 Intern position in the Department of Public Defense” and that “The Board approved the request.” The record does not include a recorded mover or seconder, a roll-call tally, or additional details of any conditions attached to approval. The minutes also do not specify the intern’s duties beyond the title, the precise grant source, or the exact start and end dates beyond “summer months.”

The decision was recorded during the HR study session at the BOCC conference room in Ellensburg. The meeting minutes list Laura Osiadacz and Brett Wachsmith as the board members present. The minutes identify several people listed as present but do not link a first name to the Public Defense Director reference; the record lists Eileen Murphy and Therese Murphy among others present but does not specify which, if either, is the director. The minutes refer to the director only as “Public Defense Director Murphy.”

Next steps or implementation details for the new intern position are not specified in the minutes.