Each year OPD distributes more than one million dollars to cities for making and/or sustaining improvements to public defense. Cities may apply for these grant funds under a competitive program described in Chapter 10.101 RCW. The participating cities use grant funds to support services such as: providing counsel at first appearance, adding attorneys to reduce caseloads, increasing attorney compensation, paying for professional investigator and expert services, providing interpreters for attorney-client meetings, and integrating social services to public defense representation.
OPD received applications from 34 cities for 2022/2023 state funding. The criteria used for evaluating grant applications were developed in consultation with the Association of Washington Cities, as required by RCW 10.101.080. Factors considered in evaluating grant applications include: local poverty level; number of criminal cases filed and the percentage of cases assigned to a public defender; public defense compensation; public defense caseloads; whether the application proposed an allowed use of funds; whether the applicant is currently receiving a grant and demonstrating actual improvements in public defense; and whether an applicant will match state grant funds with new local funding. Grant funds may only be used for funding/sustaining improvements to public defense, and may not be used to supplant services previously funded by the City.
The 2022/2023 city grant recipients and their annual allocations are the following:
- Aberdeen - $59,000
- Airway Heights - $13,000
- Asotin - $2,000
- Battle Ground - $12,000
- Bremerton - $17,000
- Burien - $8,000
- Chehalis - $14,500
- Cheney - $15,000
- East Wenatchee - $18,000
- Everett - $45,000
- Fife - $22,500
- Granger - $7,000
- Hoquiam - $21,000
- Kelso - $55,000
- Kent - $25,250
- Lacey - $8,000
- Lake Stevens/Arlington - $18,000
- Lakewood - $34,000
- Longview - $70,000
- Medical Lake - $2,000
- Monroe - $11,000
- Olympia - $65,000
- Pasco - $40,000
- Port Orchard - $12,000
- Shelton - $34,000
- Spokane - $93,000
- Spokane Valley - $19,500
- Sunnyside - $66,000
- Tacoma - $47,000
- Toppenish - $16,000
- Tukwila - $37,500
- Union Gap - $20,000
- Yakima - $86,000