Headlines & History since 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2026
Vol. 147 No. 34
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Commissioner pays late property taxes after inquiry Lou Marzeles Editor Klickitat County Commissioner Todd Andrews paid more than $9,400 in property taxes covering portions of three tax years on July 22, shortly after The Sentinel contacted him about delinquent taxes on his property the same day. The payment brought the property, owned by his wife, current on taxes dating back to the second half of 2024, according to Klickitat County Treasurer Greg Gallagher. Gallagher confirmed in an August 20 email that Andrews made an online payment July 22 that was posted by the Treasurer’s Office July 23. “This payment brought the parcel current on the second half 2024, 2025, and 2026 taxes,” Gallagher wrote. Treasurer records show three amounts posted July 23: $2,051.75 for 2024, $3,800.86 for 2025, and $3,581 for 2026, for a total payment of $9,433.61. The payment came after The Sentinel received a telephone tip July 21 alleging that Andrews was substantially behind on property taxes. The Sentinel contacted Andrews the following day to verify the report. Andrews readily acknowl-
edged the situation. “The caller was 100% correct,” he wrote. “I was behind and paying the steep interest that comes along with it.” He then said the inquiry had reminded him to take care of the delinquency. “Thanks for the reminder, as it has been on my to-do list, and I paid it online today,” Andrews wrote. While delinquent property taxes involving a private citizen ordinarily would not be a matter of public interest, Andrews’ position as a county commissioner places him among the county’s highest elected officials, with responsibility for decisions involving county finances, budgets, and government operations. Andrews himself acknowledged that his position made scrutiny of the matter appropriate, writing that someone was probably examining his taxes “because I’m a Commissioner, as they should.” County records show Andrews’ delingquent payment history extended over more than two years. After payments in 2024, no subsequent payment reflected in the history provided to The Sentinel was made until this year, when the $9,433.61 payment was posted. That payment included
See Andrews page B1
Victor Baca for The Sentinel
VEHICLES APLENTY: The big car show in Centerville this weekend drew a wide range of classics.
Rodger Nichols for The Sentinel
MEETING IN DALLESPORT: County Commissioners Lori Zoller, Ron Ihrig, and Todd Andrews held a special meeting in Dallesport last week.
Commissioners meet in Dallesport Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel On August 18, all three Klickitat Commissioners were in Dallesport for a wastewater rate increase hearing for the 437 hookups in the system. Public Works Director Jeff Hunter explained that the county had received two loans totaling $10,380,000 in 2001 to build the Dallesport wastewater system: “The system is now well over 20 years old, and some of it’s reached the end of its life,” he said. “Some of it has been replaced, some of it needs to be replaced. Planned capital projects for the system from this year to 2034 comes to approximately
$3,785,000.” He said the system was self-supporting for operations but did not generate enough income for capital expenses, which would include replacement of the telemetry panel, influential screens, the north digester gearbox, and oxidation aeration system To fund that, he said, the county proposed a 10 percent monthly rate increase, which would raise the current rate of $68.07 to $74.88, an increase of $6.81, and to “round up” the cost of connecting fees to $6,000 this year and add $100 every subsequent year. When a resident expressed concern that a high connection
See Water page B1
Final election results Lou Marzeles Editor
Washington Department of Transportation
BIG CHANGE COMING: Monday Department of Transportation crews began modifying the US 97 and SR 14 intersection. Work is expected to continue through the end of the month. Crews will remove the stop sign for northbound US 97 traffic and add stop signs for eastbound and westbound SR 14 traffic. The changes are designed to improve safety, especially for trucks climbing north on 97 that have to stop at the intersection with 14, losing momentum and slowing traffic. Between 2020 and 2024, there were 13 crashes at the intersection, one involving serious injury. Some crashes involved semis traveling north on 97 that were hit on the side.
Klickitat County voters turned out in substantially greater numbers than early election-night figures suggested, with final certified results from the Aug. 4 primary showing approximately half of the county’s registered voters cast ballots. Final figures show 8,276 ballots counted among 16,572 registered voters, for a turnout of about 50 percent. Early returns had suggested a turnout in the neighborhood of 37 percent, but thousands of additional ballots were added as counting contin-
ued. The election was certified following the county canvassing process. Under Washington’s top-two primary system, the two candidates receiving the most votes in contested races advance to the November 3 general election regardless of party affiliation. Congressional District 4 In the crowded race to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, Republican Amanda McKinney and Democrat John Duresky emerged as the top two candidates districtwide and will face each other in November.
See Results page B1