Headlines & History since 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2026
Vol. 147 No. 15
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Lawsuit filed in county challenges state’s new income tax Lou Marzeles Editor A coalition of taxpayers and business groups has filed a lawsuit in Klickitat County Superior Court seeking to block Washington’s newly enacted income tax, arguing the law violates the state constitution. The complaint, filed April 9, challenges a measure signed into law March 30 that imposes a 9.9 percent tax on annual income above $1 million. The tax is scheduled to take effect in 2028, with the first payments due in 2029.
The plaintiffs include Benjamin Petter and Lauren Petter of Chelan County; Robert and Brenda Mercer, who own farmland spanning Klickitat and Benton counties; and Curt Nuccitelli and Beatrice Gasper of Kent. Also joining the lawsuit are the Ethnic Chamber of Commerce Coalition, the Yakima Klickitat Farm Association, the Building Industry Association of Washington, and the National Federation of Independent Business. They are suing the State of Washington, the Department of Revenue, and its acting director, John Ryser.
At the heart of the case is a long-standing legal question in Washington: whether income can be taxed under the state constitution. The lawsuit argues that Washington’s constitution treats income as a form of property, a position upheld repeatedly by the state Supreme Court over nearly a century. Because of that, the plaintiffs contend, any tax on income must follow strict constitutional limits that apply to property taxes. Those limits include two key requirements:
• Property taxes must be applied uniformly. • Property taxes cannot exceed 1 percent annually. The new law, the lawsuit argues, violates both. Under the measure, income below $1 million is taxed at 0 percent, while income above that threshold is taxed at 9.9 percent. The plaintiffs say that structure creates a non-uniform tax and exceeds the constitutional cap. “The Act’s graduated income tax is blatantly unconstitutional,” the complaint states. The lawsuit also points to
Washington voters’ long history of rejecting income taxes. According to the complaint, voters have turned down 10 separate proposals, including constitutional amendments and ballot initiatives, since the 1930s. Most recently, a 2010 initiative to tax high earners was rejected by a 64 percent margin. The plaintiffs argue the new law effectively bypasses that history. In addition to legal arguments, the complaint raises concerns about economic impacts, partic-
See Tax page B1
County signs new contracts with employees Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel Klickitat County commissioners covered a lot of ground at their April 7 meeting. New contracts have been signed with public works department employees, including a multi-part wage increase that would total 5.85% by the end of 2026, an increased boot and tool allowance, and a change in how the Consumer Price Index will be used to calculate future wages. The county also agreed with a staff suggestion to add fire and police software modules to the medical module in the current dispatch system. County Administrator Robb Van Cleave explained: “It puts a script in the system, so that the dispatchers can follow the script and make sure we’re getting all the right information,” he said. “So it’s good for training. It allows us to move people onto the console faster. It also benefits the experienced dispatchers, should we get into a pretty intense situation. And it also reduces liability by making sure we are consistently asking and giving the right information for law enforcement, EMS and for fire.” Valerie Fowler, Klickitat County’s member of the Gorge Commission, reported the Gorge Commission had experienced a 27% budget cut, resulting in reduced staff hours and a shift from monthly to bimonthly public meetings. Despite budget cuts, the Gorge
Commission launched a new, more user-friendly website that would allow for online land-use applications. And she added this evaluation: “I’m delighted to say they seem to be keeping up with the Klickitat County applications, including the ones from the Burdoin fire,” she said. “Just this past week, Executive Director Krystyna Wolniakowski approved the sixth land use application to replace a dwelling that was destroyed in the fire.” She also cited a growing synergy between Klickitat, Skamania, and Wasco County on the Gorge commission and a greater degree of what she called resident protection. During the formal afternoon session, the board issued a proclamation declaring April 12 through 18 as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week to honor 911 dispatch personnel. Jonna Wingert was appointed to the Klickitat-Skamania Development Disability Advisory Board, in concurrence with Skamania County’s recommendation. Commissioners also identified two key legislative priorities: addressing the sales tax credit the county must give to green energy projects, which had cost the county nearly a million dollars previously, and rescinding a tax that uniquely affects the Columbia Gorge Regional Airport. A public hearing was held for Daniel and Michelle Spatz’s application to classify their 18.5-acre property under the “open space”
See County page B4
Mobile foot care nurse sets up shop
Stray dogs expose service gaps Lorrie Fox For The Sentinel
Stray dogs are a daily concern in rural and downtown Goldendale, according to posts and comments on social media. But what happens once the dogs are found? The question directly relates to the long-standing issue of an animal shelter for this area. In a recent post on the original Everything Goldendale Facebook page, a black-and-white collie roaming in town caused a potentially dangerous situation by jumping into a woman’s pickup with her dogs. “My dogs are not happy with the visitor that jumped in my truck at 200 W Collins. Male, collar with rabies tag. Sweet dog, but causing chaos,” wrote Bev Essman. According to Essman, someone contacted city police to try to identify the owner using the rabies tag, but they declined to help. (Police generally respond to only vicious dogs alerts, while medical tag requests are typical-
ly referred to a veterinarian’s office.) She said door-to-door attempts in the neighborhood were unsuccessful. “Super sweet dog. Hope it made it home,” she added. Stories like this highlight a recurring gap in city and county animal control and show how unpredictable loose-dog situations can be, especially with limited resources to manage them. City response “The city does not have an animal control officer,” Goldendale Chief of Police Mike Smith said. “We only have a Police Patrol Officer who responds to noise complaints, barking dogs, and vicious or dangerous dogs. If a dog is loose, the officer will attempt to contact the owner and cite them for dog at large. If the dog violates the noise ordinance, the owner can be cited. If the owner cannot be contacted because the dog has no tags or chip, the dog could be euthanized. We only impound dangerous dogs and temporarily hold them at a local vet.”
The City handles dogs only, not cats, and all other wildlife should be reported to the state Fish and Wildlife Department, he added. Smith clarified that city officials are not involved in the county’s dog shelter project and directed questions about funding and operations to Klickitat County. Public records show county officials, including Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer, developed a plan to address the need for a dog shelter. Support came from then-State Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, who requested an $842,000 appropriation from the state in January 2022. The county later received $649,900 in reimbursement-based funding (after taxes) to build a new county-owned dog shelter. At the June 3, 2025, County Commissioners meeting, Danielle Olson, chair of the animal shelter advisory committee formed by the Sheriff’s Office, spoke about the project. State-
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State confronts yet another year of drought
Catherine Couture For The Sentinel A foot nurse on wheels has officially set up shop in Goldendale. Back in January of 2026, Chrystal Cecil, a registered hospice nurse of four years, took it upon herself to start her own business, going to clients’ homes and offering foot care to those without access to it. With foot care clinics being few and far between in the more rural parts of the county, her mobility offers foot care services to many in need. She’d been working in the healthcare field for around 20 years, with these last four working in hospice and palliative care. While her mobile footcare business is more of a side job at the moment, she plans to expand it and make it her full time job. As much as she loves working in the field of palliative care, she considers herself ready to retire. She believes that working one-on-one with clients will leave her with more time to focus on her family and loved ones. Chrystal grew up in Klickitat
File photo
ROAMING DOGS: Goldendale’s many loose dogs have many wondering what’s going on with the proposed county animal shelter.
Aspen Ford Washington State Standard Facebook
FINE FOOT WORK: Chrystal Cecil has started bringing foot care to people’s homes.
County. “I graduated from high school in Klickitat,” she says, and “and I still have strong roots within the community.” She moved to Vancouver after the birth of her daughter but grew dissatisfied living in the big city. “I found it far too noisy and crowded. I missed the quiet of the countryside and the slower pace of rural life.” She eventually decided to move back to Klickitat after her daughter grew up and started a family of her own. She now resides in Goldendale. Chrystal said the most fulfilling part of her job was getting to connect with the community as a whole. “I love getting to know the people I work with,” she says,
See Foot page B1
Washington’s Department of Ecology announced a statewide drought emergency Wednesday, marking the fourth consecutive year that part or all of the state has been in a drought. “We declare drought when water supply drops below 75% of normal,” said Casey Sixkiller, director of Ecology. “This year, every watershed in our state has met that threshold.” Snowpack in the mountains is at about half of normal. The emergency declaration follows an above average wet winter where precipitation levels were 104% of what is considered normal. But warmer temperatures limited snowpack growth. Snow turned into rain or melted. “Last year’s drought was mostly due to low precipitation,” said Karin Bumbaco, deputy state climatologist for the Washington State Climate Office. “This year’s drought is exactly what
we expect to see more of in the future.” “Statewide, the water year average temperature ranks as the third warmest since records began in 1895,” Bumbaco added. Mountain snowpack acts as a natural reservoir for the state. When it’s low, rivers run low, farmers face water shortages and fish habitat suffers. “Across our state, water supplies were built around snowpack,” said Sixkiller. “After four years, we’re now seeing that this is no longer a reliable resource.” And, the forecast doesn’t look much better. Through early summer, warmer and drier conditions are expected. “Over the past decade, we’ve declared drought seven out of ten years. Drought is becoming the pattern, our new normal,” Sixkiller added. The declaration unlocks $3 million of funding for response grants and expedites the process of emergency water permits, but officials say the funding isn’t
enough. The multi-year drought is felt first and most acutely by farmers in the Yakima River Basin, an agricultural hotspot in the region. Last October, Ecology implemented an unprecedented restriction on total surface water usage in the Yakima Basin due to dry conditions. Officials said it’s too soon to tell if similar restrictions will happen later this year. A fourth consecutive year of drought also means more wildfire risks. “Fires will be more prone to start and will spread more quickly,” said Dave Upthegrove, lands commissioner and head of the Department of Natural Resources, which is the state’s lead wildfire fighting agency. With more than 90% of wildfires in the state being human-caused, “It’s more important than ever that Washington residents follow the rules as it relates to burning,” Upthegrove added.