Sequim, PA asked to pay more for Clallam criminal justice contracts

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Sequim city councilors unanimously approved a temporary Criminal Justice contract last week with Clallam County prior to a 10-year-old agreement ending on Dec. 31.

The new six-month agreement follows county officials’ findings that both Sequim and the City of Port Angeles have allegedly been underpaying for district court, jail, prosecution, and public defender services.

According to city staffers, Sequim was told it is underpaying for services by approximately $230,000 annually based on 2024 services, while Port Angeles is underpaying by approximately $2.5 million a year.

Sequim’s Dec. 8 city council meeting documents state that “Criminal Justice operations were to be reviewed annually in order to identify any changes and improvements, as well as review relevant data (and) for a variety of reasons, data has not been reviewed for several years until September–October of 2025, when 2024 ‘Actuals’ were provided by the county.”

Sequim City Manager Matt Huish said they received a clearer picture of the costs from the county less than a month ago and that the contract is “pretty outdated if you think about where the world has moved in 10 years.”

Sequim officials proposed paying an additional $9,700 per month (about $48,000 in total each month) adjusted by a consumer price index (CPI) increase of 2.7% through June 30, 2026 as they verify the county’s numbers with a consultant.

“We felt it was really important to continue on the four levels,” Huish said. “They’ve been good partners.”

He said they don’t dispute the county’s numbers but want to explore the numbers themselves.

County commissioners must approve the city’s proposal, which was not finalized as of the Gazette’s press deadline.

Sue Hagener, Sequim’s finance director, wrote via email that the city will pay the difference out of the General Fund, and it may require a budget amendment following a consultant study and county negotiations.

She said the city has sent out five “request for quotes” to companies seeking prices to review the criminal justice services data for public defense, prosecution, district court and the jail. The consultant’s contract will not rise to a level requiring council approval, Hagener said, and it will also be paid from the city’s General Fund, which also might require a budget amendment in 2026.

City staff want to have the analysis done by April 30, 2026.

Huish said they anticipate 2025’s data to be made available by the end of the first quarter of 2026.

Sequim’s amended contract also requests that the county provide data for 2026 on a quarterly basis for the four departments, including referrals, trials, pleas, pre-trial diversion, specialty courts (drug/mental health) and all case types, e.g., harassment, property crimes, assault, assault DV, and DUI, each broken down by jurisdiction.

Port Angeles

City of Port Angeles city councilors were set to consider an interim Criminal Justice contract on Dec. 16 after the Gazette’s deadline.

According to Port Angeles city staff, the city’s current monthly payment is about $94,000, and they recommend a six-month extension to the current contract, with an increased monthly rate of just under $150,600, with a total six-month extension of about $900,000.

At the Dec. 8 Clallam County Commissioners’ work session, Port Angeles City Manager Nathan West said “continuity of services is something to celebrate (and) something our citizens expect of us and we don’t duplicate costs. It’s something we want to see continue.”

Both Sequim and Port Angeles already approved their 2026 operating budgets, with Port Angeles budgeting about $1.16 million for its criminal justice service contract with the county.

West said they need a lot more information before agreeing to the large increase in services as no other cost of service has increased like the county has proposed in 10 years.

“I’m not saying it’s inaccurate,” he said. “It’s going to take some time for our entire council to understand and appreciate why the costs have increased so much.”

County Administrator Todd Mielke said on Dec. 8 there wasn’t a consensus to pay a consultant to investigate the Criminal Justice numbers, so each department did deep dives into budgets to calculate actual costs.

County Commissioner Mark Ozias said the 10-year contract had the county relying heavily on retaining all fines and fees to offset costs but law changes have removed many of those requirements, so he asked City of Port Angeles officials if they’d be willing to pay more of the difference in the interim between the current and proposed contracts similarly to the City of Sequim as the county has “been carrying this significant expense for quite awhile.”

West said it was doubtful as city officials feel they have not received services they’ve paid for, including during the COVID-19 pandemic when criminal justice services were not being provided and they weren’t reimbursed.

“I don’t believe we can get there (on the interim),” he said. “It’s been a difficult budget year and the budget is passed.”

In a follow-up interview, Jess Straits, Port Angeles’ communications and records management coordinator, said they do not currently plan to seek a consultant to evaluate the county’s data, but they’d be open to it to depending on cost and if the county and City of Sequim were to do so.

Asked if they agree with the findings, Straits said, “At this time, we neither agree nor disagree with the assessment from the county. We simply need more information and time to assess the county’s cost increase.”

“The city is committed to ensuring criminal justice services are maintained in Port Angeles and recognizes that this is a critical and essential need to our community,” Straits said. “We are working to ensure these services are met in the most fiscally responsible manner.”