Poulsbo council approves Kitsap County public-defender contract; staff cites 14% cost increase

City staff told the Poulsbo City Council on Jan. 8 that the city’s agreement with Kitsap County for public-defender services for 2025 includes only two minor word changes from the packet copy but reflects a roughly 14% increase in costs from last year.

"That is the significant reason why your costs increase 14% over what it was last year," a staff member explained, attributing the increase to the county’s cost-recovery policy, wage increases and changes in public-defender caseloads. The staff member said those higher costs were included in the city’s final budget projections.

Council Member Newell asked whether pending state changes to public-defender workload standards remained an open question and whether future costs could rise further; staff said the 2025 agreement is intended to cover the law change as the county prepares for it but cautioned that some variability remains tied to hiring and other conditions in the county office. After brief discussion, the council moved and seconded approval of the agreement for Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2025, and the motion passed with affirmative votes recorded by the clerk.

The council did not amend the agreement during the meeting; staff said they would monitor county staffing and cost changes and return with updated budget information if necessary.