Headlines & History since 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2026
Vol. 147 No. 3
$1.00
County to hire more dispatchers Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel
Oversight concerns shadow City incubator project Lorrie Fox For The Sentinel
An investigation by The Sentinel into the City of Goldendale’s 2023 Incubator Building Project found reporting and compliance inconsistencies related to state labor-law requirements. The $1,036,800 project was funded through a Washington State Department of Commerce grant, placing the City in a dual role as both the grantee of state funds and the awarding agency responsible for contract oversight. Documentation and verification responsibilities Under Washington public works procedures, which include municipalities, the awarding agency is responsible for ensuring subcontractors have approved Statements of Intent to Pay Prevailing Wages and Affidavits of Wages Paid on file before final payments and project closeout. According to information shared with The Sentinel this month by a Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) representative, records associated with the project showed several unresolved items, including but not limited to:
• One subcontractor without certified payroll records on file • A second subcontractor without an approved Intent or Affidavit and no certified payroll records • A third subcontractor with duplicate filings that had not been resolved The L&I representative said they rely largely on the awarding agency and prime contractor to ensure subcontractor compliance, noting L&I has limited ability to independently monitor filings. Information obtained in a public records request shows the physical project was accepted as complete on August 1, 2023, and L&I released its hold on retainage in October 2023. Retainage is a portion of grant funds directed to be withheld by L&I until all documentation required for compliance is indicated as complete. It is uncertain why retainage was released when some documentation was not completed in compliance. Owner-operator filings A central issue reviewed by The Sentinel involves Finn Ridge Tile and Flooring, Inc., which appears in L&I’s records associated with the project but is not listed on
the City’s Notice of Completion. When asked about the absence of filings, City Administrator Sandy Wells said, “There is no statement of intent because it’s owner operated, so prevailing wage isn’t a factor,” meaning addressing prevailing wage by the subcontractor, in this case, was presumed not to be requisite and, therefore, did not require documentation filing. But guidance published by L&I and the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) states that, while qualifying owner-operators may be exempt from paying prevailing wages to themselves, they are still required to file Statements of Intent and Affidavits, (and certified payroll) to document their participation on a public-works project. MRSC guidance explains that even when an owner performs all work personally, the forms must still be filed and may be marked “owner-operator.” City records Wells said subcontractors were scheduled and coordinated work through the general contractor, Kaban Homes, Inc., and that their work was not coordinated directly with the City. Asked whether
Klickitat County will hire two fully trained emergency management dispatchers on a temporary basis to ease the burden on a crew that is critically shortstaffed. Another department merger is in the works, and the county gets pushback on an earlier merger plan. That’s all part of the January 13 Klickitat County Commission morning workshop and afternoon official section. Despite a hiring freeze, the county will be contracting for two fully qualified emergency services dispatchers to alleviate the burden on a highly overworked staff. County Administrator Robb Van Cleave noted the county is required to have two dispatchers on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and to do it properly requires 10 people. Currently there are only five. “To put that kind of load on five people, we’re going to burn out folks,” he said. “We’ve already had to adjust vacation schedules, and we’re to the point where if we lose one more, it would be extremely critical. It’s a stressful environment.” The $137,000 contract buys the county 1,773 hours of coverage for two fully trained dispatchers. Any hours not used up in the first four months will carry over to the next period if necessary. The county also had an un-
budgeted $7,800 to renew a fleet management software contract that was expiring imminently. The software had justified its cost when a person claimed they were in an accident involving a county vehicle, and the software proved that no county vehicles were present anywhere near the scene of the alleged accident. Van Cleave also floated the idea of moving civil service responsibilities from the clerk’s office to Human Resources. That would allow a proposed halftime HR position to be funded for a full-time position. But an earlier decision to move Emergency Management into the Public Works Department drew criticism from the undersheriff and volunteer fire chiefs.county. Sarah Hancock, Chief of High Prairie Fire District No. 14, presented an open letter signed by 12 of the 17 fire chiefs in the county, which read in part: “This change was announced after the decision had already been made, without convening the Emergency Management Executive Board, and without meaningful dialogue with emergency response partners... Emergency management is not a clerical function that can be reassigned without consequence... Reassigning this mission to a department whose primary work is not public safety creates immediate risk…The one and a half week transition is not a responsible timeline.”
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Rebuilding restrictions eased for fire disaster Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel
There was good news for victims of the Rowena and Burdoin fires in the National Scenic Area. On January 13, the Columbia River Gorge Commission unanimously passed an amendment to the Management Plan specifically designed to ease restrictions on rebuilding following a disaster. There have been larger fires in the Gorge since the National Scenic Area Act of 1986 but none approaching the destruction of homes and property like the twin fires of the summer of 2025. This was the Gorge Commission’s first significant update to the replacement provisions, and by the time it came to a vote, it had been 212 days since the start of the Rowena Fire and 192 days from the start of the Burdoin fire.
The Commission staff initially planned for the Gorge Commission to vote on the plan amendment in November, but tribal consultation, which the National Scenic Area Act requires, took longer than expected. Still, the Commission held hearings in November and December to move the Plan Amendment along. The Gorge Commission staff acted quickly after adopting the Plan Amendment. The next day, the Commission staff drafted a final order; the Chair signed it and sent it to the Secretary of Agriculture for concurrence. Also, for the first time, the Gorge Commission authorized the counties to directly apply the Plan Amendment while they are enacting their own matching ordinances, which normally takes a year or longer. and the changes will take effect. What changes did the Gorge
Commission make? If a homeowner wants to rebuild in the same footprint as the lost residence, they can get an expedited review and not have to do a cultural resources survey. Those who are rebuilding in the General Management Area will also be allowed to use the expedited review process if they make minor changes that expand or adjust the footprint, size, and height. Those adjustments are more specific, but in most cases give landowners more flexibility. Some GMA landowners may also need to have a cultural resources review. Those in the Special Management Areas can use the same adjustments, but all applications will still have some cultural resources review. During the hearings, the Forest Service promised they will be moved to the top of the list for the
See Fire page A6
GOP says state has an affordability crisis Ayeda Masood Washington State Journal
The state Republican Party says Gov. Bob Ferguson does not understand the nature of the affordability crisis in Washington. The governor proposes more taxes and government regulation while the GOP believes the opposite would help more. In his Jan. 13 State of the State speech to the Washington State Legislature, Ferguson outlined plans to address housing affordability and proposed a new income-based tax on residents
earning over one million. He also emphasized the need to invest in repairing flood-damaged roads and bridges and strengthening the state’s transportation infrastructure. The state Republican Party has concerns, specifically on the income tax and affordability crisis Washingtonians face. Sen. Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley, said families are moving out of Washington and taking their skills and economic contributions with them. He highlighted negative effects of Washington’s affordability crisis, in-
cluding increased homelessness, the chronic drug crisis and housing and rent unaffordability. While the income tax is proposed as an income tax on millionaires, Republicans anticipate this bill will turn into a full blown income tax on Washington workers. “You can’t make Washington more affordable by making it more expensive,” Wagoner said. Sen. John Braun, R-Thurston, said “We need less taxes, less regulation and less government involvement if we’re going to get out of people’s way and allow our
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Top news story this week last year This time last year, the following was our top news story: A Washington state law aimed at protecting immigrant rights faces potential challenges with the new presidential administration, according to a story reported on KUOW by Gustavo Sagrero Alvarez. The state’s sanctuary law, the Keep Washington Working Act, limits the ways local law enforcement can collaborate with federal immigration authorities. However, some counties in the state appear inclined to support federal deportation efforts. Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer voiced his willingness to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in a video posted to his department’s social media page on Dec. 11. “I don’t care if this is a blue state, a sanctuary state… they have an obligation,” Songer said, referring to government agencies he believes should align with federal deportation plans under President Donald Trump.
The Keep Washington Working Act, enacted in 2019, prohibits local law enforcement from inquiring about immigration status or detaining individuals for federal immigration agents. Nonetheless, it allows for cooperation in specific cases, such as dismantling human trafficking or drug rings, or addressing individuals in state prisons. Trump’s administration has signaled plans for mass deportations, prioritizing individuals who have committed crimes. Sheriff Songer, however, expressed openness to targeting people who entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas—offenses that can escalate to federal crimes if repeated. A Department of Homeland Security report estimates approximately 340,000 Washington residents lack legal immigration status. “This sheriff is not going to refuse to help ICE—we will be there with ICE to do the job,” Songer declared in his video.