Yakima County Assessor Dave Cook

After 21 years of service, Yakima County Assessor Dave Cook is calling it a career. On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, Cook announced his decision not to seek another term.

After 24 years in office, Yakima County Assessor Dave Cook will retire when his term expires in December.

Cook made the announcement in an email Tuesday.

“It’s been a fun endeavor,” he said sitting in his office. “I still enjoy getting up in the morning and coming to work. That’s not the thing. I’ve just got other priorities.”

Those priorities are his two new granddaughters.

Cook’s office tracks real property sales, determines tax assessments and considers the many moving parts involved, such as paying attention to the many different special tax districts and providing information to the public about assessment rates.

“I’m absolutely convinced I’m leaving the office in good hands,” he said. “We’ve got some really good people working for us.”

One of his staff members, Jacob Tate, announced his candidacy for Cook’s position in an email the same day.

Tate is the county’s property database coordinator. He plans to formally announce his candidacy at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Wanderland taproom in Zillah.

Filing for local office runs May 16-20 through the Yakima County Auditor’s Office.

Cook oversaw the office through the Great Recession, when property sales drastically slowed, and through the explosion in home sales and increasing property values that have occurred in recent years.

He said the biggest changes in his office have been improved information gathering and sharing it with the public.

Cook releases information to the media annually about tax assessments and why they’ve changed.

“We’ll show people exactly how the value was determined and if there’s a problem, we’ll fix it,” he said. “We don’t get a commission on what values are — we just want them to be accurate.”

Reach Phil Ferolito at pferolito@yakimaherald.com.

(0) comments

Comments are now closed on this article.

Comments can only be made on article within the first 3 days of publication.