Be prepared for wind and potential power outages
A high wind warning is in effect today, Tuesday, Dec. 27, from approximately 1 p.m. until 1 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, with a risk of power outages in King County. Here are helpful emergency preparedness resources:
Power outages: If you are teleworking and experience a power outage that affects your ability to effectively work remotely, please contact your supervisor to discuss other options for completing work tasks. These may include taking leave or working from your regular King County worksite.
If you work on site, please be prepared for winter weather. Have a plan for your commute, dress warmly, and let safety be your guide when making commute decisions. If you drive, have an emergency kit in your vehicle, including extra clothing, food, water, and a flashlight.
HR Policies: When an agency remains open, but conditions prevent you from reporting to work or from reporting on time, notify your supervisor as soon as possible. You may request leave, subject to approval by your supervisor. If you have no leave accrued, your supervisor may approve leave without pay to cover absences. Sick leave may not be used. Additionally, during inclement weather, department management may determine that a function or service can be fulfilled by an employee while telecommuting. Refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather (Sheriff’s Office employees refer to KCSO Inclement Weather Policy; Superior Court and District Court employees please see check court policies).
Alternative work arrangements: If you are impacted by the weather, adjusting your work schedules, working at an alternative location, or taking vacation may be options for your job. Please discuss these beforehand with your supervisor.
Stay informed: Make sure you’re getting the latest King County information at work and at home in the event of inclement weather.
- Sign up for KCInform, King County’s employee alert and warning system. KCInform is used to reach County employees during an emergency with timely information about infrastructure disruptions, facility impacts, changes in your department’s business operations, and other critical impacts. Your King County desk phone and @kingcounty.gov email are already in the system. It is important to register your County-issued cell phone (if applicable) and personal cell phone and email address to ensure you receive time-sensitive messages. This service is free, and your personal contact information is secure and protected. To sign up, please contact kcinform@kingcounty.gov anytime or 206-296-3830 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday to request your unique registration link. Visit the KCInform website to learn more or watch our short video.
- Call the Employee Hotline at 206-205-8600 (save it to your phone now!).
- Check your King County email for information on business operations, delays, and closures. Log on at http://outlook.kingcounty.gov. Some agencies may send additional instructions directly to their staff.
- Contact your supervisor for specific instructions.
- Visit the Emergency News page at kcemergency.com for regional impacts.
Resources for travelers
- Metro: Visit MetroWinter.com and Eye on Your Metro Commute, and sign up for Metro Transit Alerts (text, email, tweets via @KingCountyMetro for general information and @kcmetroalerts for transit alerts, see RSS feed via desktop or mobile RSS reader)
- Roads: Visit Roads’ Snow and Ice resources and sign up for King County Road Alerts (text, email, tweets via @kcroads)
- Water Taxi: Sign up for King County Water Taxi Alerts (text, email)
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UPDATE: Regence contract approved with The Polyclinic and Everett Clinic
The contract between Regence and Optum, the parent company of Everett Clinic and The Polyclinic, is approved effective immediately. If you are enrolled in the Regence KingCare PPO, there will be no disruption to your coverage.
If you have questions, please call Regence BlueShield at 800-376-7926 from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. You can also contact the King County Benefits team at 206-684-1556 or email KC Benefits.
Your patience and understanding in this process has been appreciated.
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Eligible PERS 2 members can switch to PERS 3 in January
Each January, certain members of Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) Plan 2 have the opportunity to make a permanent transfer to PERS Plan 3. You are eligible to transfer to Plan 3 if you are an active PERS Plan 2 member who began service before Sept. 1, 2002, and you will earn service credit in January.
Use the resources on the DRS website to help you decide if transferring to Plan 3 is right for you. To transfer from Plan 2 to Plan 3, complete a Member Transfer form and return it by mail or email by Jan. 31, 2023 to:
King County Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations
401 Fifth Avenue, CNK-HR-0230
Seattle, WA 98104
If you transfer to PERS Plan 3, you should see the change on your pay advice in Feb. 2023.
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Brrrr! How to stay warm and safe when the power is out
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider
Freezing rain is in the forecast for Thursday night and Friday morning. When rain freezes, ice weighs down trees and powerlines, so there are predictions of widespread power outages from emergency management.
Power outages are more than an inconvenience. When temperatures are cold, power outages can become emergency situations. Get ready ahead of time to avoid dangers if the electricity goes out. Read more.
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King County Correctional Guild donates diapers and more to Westside Baby
The King County Correctional Guild recently delivered almost 3400 diapers along with 180 other hygiene items to Westside Baby, located in West Seattle.
“We learned about the need for diapers and wipes, along with other items such as baby shampoo, from a volunteer at Westside Baby and wanted to help,” said Officer Donald Moen. “Many of our members are familiar with just how expensive these items are and were more than happy to contribute.”
The Guild took the opportunity to make it a friendly competition between the different shifts that work at the facilities located in downtown Seattle and Kent. The winning shift was made up of officers assigned to court detail in the Kent, and they received a meal of their choice paid for by donations from Guild members.
The real winners, of course, are the members of the community being helped by this wonderful organization.
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Carol Basile is FBOD’s new deputy director
Cross-posted from Executive Services Express
Carol Basile recently took on the role of Deputy Director for the Finance and Business Operations Division. She is very familiar with the role, having previously served in this capacity for nearly two years from 2013 to 2015.
Carol has been King County’s Chief Treasury Officer since 2019 where she has overseen a number of Treasury team successes. She has also been a key contributor and a member of the leadership team on the Property Tax Administration System (PTAS) technology project. To ensure transitions run smoothly, Carol will temporarily be serving a dual role as the Deputy Director and as the Chief Treasury Officer until an interim Chief Treasury Officer is selected. Read more.
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Moving Forward Together: The Importance of Indigenous Voices in Shaping Institutional Transformation
This edition marks the final video in a four-part series, closing out the community conversation that was jointly produced with Native American Leadership Council (NALC) and the Office of Equity and Social Justice in partnership with community members.
In video 1, NALC members shared stories of how community advocacy can lead to policy and systems change within institutions. Indigenous Peoples Day as a paid holiday within King County being one example of that.
In video 2, Urban Native Education Alliance emphasized the importance and benefit of funding Native centered programming and curriculum development, and shared a call to action to genuinely engage the community and support with funding a Native focused school to uphold Indigenous perspectives and cultural values.
In video 3, King County colleagues Annie Kirk and Bryon Davis illustrated the importance of place and connection to culture, land, and water as being essential to how they move through this world.
In this final video 4, Native educators explain how important Indigenous representation and knowledge are essential in re-imagining and reconstructing how institutions function for transformative change. Representation is necessary to countering falsely held narratives on our North Star journey of equity and social justice.
This series on the perspectives of Indigenous employees and community voice is designed to create solidarity in a genuine way with the Tribal and Urban Native community to re-imagine how the King County government and its workforce can benefit from changing the lens from transactional to relational, and from performative to transformative. All employees are encouraged to show up and join this journey when NALC does deeper dive events in the coming year.
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COVID Leave Benefit ends Dec. 31
Last year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, King County implemented a plan that allowed for up to 80 hours of leave for COVID-related reasons. The program began Aug. 10, 2021 and is scheduled to end Dec. 31, 2022.
Requests to use COVID Leave will only be processed through Dec. 31, 2022. Additionally, any previously awarded COVID Leave that has not been used by Dec. 31, 2022, will be removed. You can read more about the program at Accessing leave during COVID-19 – King County and Taking leave – King County.
As a reminder, COVID-19 has not gone away, and other airborne illnesses are having a strong impact this season. Vaccinations and wearing a mask indoors are highly recommended. You can get more information at Public Health Insider.
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Learn sustainable landscaping and yard care
King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is partnering with the Snohomish Conservation District to offer both in-person and online classes ranging from landscaping with native plants to growing a food forest.
These free classes are part of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks Environmental Education Programs. Read more.
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Help reduce the spread of airborne illnesses by improving indoor air quality
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider
By now you may have heard that we’re experiencing high cases of flu and RSV (a respiratory disease), with young children being hospitalized. With cold weather, we spend more time inside, which increases the potential for another surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the coming months.
Diseases like RSV, the flu, and COVID-19 are airborne and spread easily indoors. With that in mind, it’s important to pay attention to indoor air quality. Read more.
Employee News 