PASCO, Wash.-Franklin County will host a workshop on the ongoing public defender crisis at the HAPO Center on Wednesday, June 12 at 11 a.m.
The workshop hopes to foster dialogue and collaboration among state legislators and local stakeholders to address the challenges facing public defense services statewide, including in Franklin County.
“The new rules being put in place will increase our Office of Public Defender costs by the millions over the next three years,” said Franklin County Administrator Mike Gonzalez. “We have to figure out a path forward and how we are going to pay for it.”
Franklin County Commissioner Stephen Bauman will lead the workshop and Franklin County’s Office of Public Defense will give a presentation on the shortage of public defenders.
State Senator Nikki Torres will also participate in the workshop, as will Washington State Representatives Stephanie Barnard, Mark Klicker and Skyler Rude.
According to Franklin County, the primary goal of the workshop is to develop strategies to address the increase in staffing requirements by state mandate within the Office of Public Defense.
In Franklin County the Office of Public Defense is set to expand from three employees to 76 by 2028.
