Reg 2018-11-19 Item 3C.2 - Agreement - 2019-2020 Public Defense Services with Kirshenbaum & Goss for $30,600 per Month

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Allan Ekberg, Mayor TO: Mayor's Office - David Cline, City Administrator Mayor Ekberg Finance & Safety Committee FROM: David Cline, City Administrator DATE: October 26, 2018 SUBJECT: Kirshenbaum & Goss, Inc. P.S. Contract for Public Defense Services ISSUE The current contract for public defender services provided by Kirshenbaum & Goss expires December 31, 2018. Attached is a proposed contract for 2019-2020. BACKGROUND The City of Tukwila contracts for public defense services providing legal representation for indigent criminal defendants who qualify for appointment of counsel from the time of screening for eligibility through trial, sentencing and appeals to the superior court, if necessary. DISCUSSION As Council may recall, Public Defense Standards were adopted by the Washington State Supreme Court effective January 1, 2015. These standards delineate the number of cases each attorney can handle per year and mandates that compensation include administrative and training costs. In addition to the new Public Defense Standards the federal court decision, Wilbur v. Mt. Vernon also mandates significant changes to public defense programs. In 2017-2018 we paid a flat rate of $32,600 per month for public defense services to maintain a Public Defense Program that fully complies with these requirements. We have evaluated the components of our program and recommend that we reduce the flat rate to $30,600 per month for 2019 and 2020. RECOMMENDATION The Committee is being asked to move this item forward to the consent agenda of the November 19, 2018 City Council Meeting for approval and authorization for execution by the Mayor. ATTACHMENTS Draft Contract for Public Defense Services for 2019-2020 Tukwila City Hall a 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, WA 98188 206-433-1800 . Website: TukwilaWA.gov 17