The Grays Harbor County commissioners were indignant in their approval to request a grant for indigent defense costs.

The county is requesting the grant from the Washington State Office of Public Defense.

When a defendant can not afford an attorney, an attorney is supplied to the defendant — that’s indigent defense.

A brunt of the costs for indigent defense is paid by counties. The Grays Harbor County commissioners are arguing that the state should foot the bill.

The grant application requests $74,259 to cover indigent defense costs. That’s basically the maximum amount the county can request. But in Grays Harbor County alone, the cost for indigent defense is about $1.5 million.

“That barely covers 4 percent or 5 percent of what the total cost is per year,” Commissioner Vickie Raines said.

“This is a pittance of what needs to be done by the state,” Commissioner Randy Ross said during the Aug. 28 commission meeting.

During the media information session after the meeting, Raines said it was mandated by the state, but it should be covered.

“They’re mandating that we provide indigent defense to the people that can’t afford that, and it’s their mandated requirement and they should pay for it,” Raines said.

Without state funding, the county has to pay for indigent defense from the general fund. In the past several years, the county’s general fund has had an operating deficit. Last year, the county finished 2016 with a small budget surplus, but some expenditures were carried into 2017 negating that surplus.

This year, the commissioners are looking at an operating deficit of about $1.2 million. That deficit is based on each department spending only 97 percent of its annual budget and could be higher as the year progresses.