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Duval warned of large court fee increases after Issaquah rescinds interlocal agreement
Summary
City staff told the Duval City Council that Issaquah has rescinded the municipal court interlocal agreement and proposed a flat annual service fee of $65,000 for 300 filings (plus $350 per filing above 300), a change that could substantially raise Duval's costs and must be resolved by Sept. 30.
City staff told the Duval City Council on July 21 that Issaquah Municipal Court has rescinded the parties' existing interlocal agreement and sent a new proposal that replaces detailed per-filing charges with a flat annual service fee.
The city administrator said Issaquah's draft would set a $65,000 annual base fee intended to cover 300 filings, with a $350 surcharge for each filing above that threshold and the usual CPI-W inflator retained. Under the current agreement, Duval pays per filing (about $296.68 for criminal filings, $59 for traffic and about $40 for parking in 2026) but is also guaranteed a minimum annual payment of $35,000. "They gave me the notice, but the notice was not just that they intended to change the fees, but they were rescinding the entire ILA and renegotiating the agreement," the city administrator said.
Staff warned the council that the proposed methodology shifts risk to Duval in several ways. The draft includes extraordinary-cost recovery (jury trials, expert witnesses, translation, specialized security or technology) and a clause that Duval would reimburse Issaquah for costs to expand capacity if Duval's filings materially increase. The items listed for possible reimbursement are broad and include recruitment, onboarding, furniture, equipment, facility expansion, record conversion and consulting services; staff flagged the language as allowing lump-sum, on-demand charges without a clear definition.
The police chief described alternatives as limited. He said the nearest district-court option, Northeast District Court in Redmond, could reject a request to take Duval cases and, if accepted, would likely be significantly more expensive. "I would say based on our current trends, we'll probably be around 200 this year," the chief said, noting seasonal variation in filings.
Councilors pressed staff about negotiation strategy and possible mitigations: lowering the base filing threshold (for example to 200), limiting enforcement practices (which affect case volume), and asking the city attorney to negotiate directly with Issaquah's attorney. Staff said it will present a conservative budget at $65,000 to ensure fiscal planning and return to council with suggested edits and a list of negotiation points before the Sept. 22 meeting to allow a signed agreement by Sept. 30.
What happens next: staff recommended city-attorney-led negotiations and asked councilors to submit specific concerns before August 18 so staff can compile a negotiating list. Councilors and staff emphasized they will budget conservatively for the coming fiscal year but aim to reduce the final cost through negotiation.
