What did it take to become a female operator at a King County wastewater treatment plant?
Cross posted from Clean Water Stories
Pam Restovic made history as a woman in the trades, working as a wastewater operator in the early days of the Clean Water Act. This law set new regulations to protect our nation’s waters from pollution and created new jobs across the country.
Like many women at the time, Pam didn’t envision this career path. She grew up in Santiago, Chile and immigrated to the U.S. for school at age 20. After graduating from college, she was working as a waitress when a customer who worked in wastewater operations encouraged her to apply for an open position at King County’s West Point Treatment Plant. She was attracted to the steady career and an opportunity to protect the environment. Read more.
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Metro welcomes new Transit Police Chief Todd Morrell
Cross-posted from Metro Matters
Todd Morrell has been selected as the new Chief for the Metro Transit Police following a competitive recruitment process. Morrell boasts more than 25 years of experience in law enforcement.
As an ardent supporter of transit, Morrell recognizes how vital the role mobility plays in helping our communities succeed and thrive. Read more.
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Sheriff’s deputies attend Skyway community Easter event
From the Sheriff’s Newsletter
The King County Sheriff’s Office hopped into the Skyway Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) Easter Egg Party recently. The deputies celebrated with 75 young Skyway residents and their families. The VFW provided cookie decorating, arts and crafts, lunch, lemonade, and a huge Easter Egg hunt for the children.
Eggs were filled with sweet treats and tickets for prizes, and the spring showers didn’t dampen spirits with the hunt being held indoors. Children and their families left with full stomachs, stuffed Easter bags, and smiles all around.
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Innovative foster program helps kittens and youth
Cross-posted from Executive Services Express
Barbara Ramey, a Communications Specialist for Executive Services, posted a first-person account about her visit to Echo Glen Children’s Center to see a volunteer program for Regional Animal Services of King County up close.
Echo Glen is a detention center for juvenile felons run by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families. The idea behind the program is to give the young people skills they need to make different choices. “The kids respond very well to the kittens,” the story states. Read more.
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Reminder: WA Cares Fund payroll deductions begin in July
The WA Cares Fund is a new state long-term care insurance program administered by the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).
Beginning July 1, 2023, almost all workers in Washington are required to contribute to the WA Cares Fund via mandatory payroll deduction.
The current premium rate is 0.58% of gross wages, or $0.58 per $100. For example, if an employee earns $50,000 annually, the total annual premium is $290 or $11.15 per paycheck. Use the WA Cares Fund calculator to Estimate your contribution.
Beginning July 2026, people eligible to receive the WA Cares Fund benefit can access a $36,500 lifetime benefit to pay for covered long-term care services.
Exemptions to the WA Cares Fund
Some employees may be eligible for a permanent or conditional exemption from the WA Cares Fund. To learn more and to request a program exemption, go to WA CARES Act Exemptions & Information.
If you are granted an exemption from the ESD, submit a copy of your final approval letter and your nine-digit PeopleSoft ID# by email to: WA.CARES.Exemption.Letters@kingcounty.gov or by U.S. mail to: Central Payroll WA CARES, 401 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.
If you have already submitted your approved exemption letter to King County, there is no need to resubmit it. Central Payroll is processing exemption letters and will confirm receipt by the end of May.
To learn more about submitting an exemption approval letter, go to the King County WA Cares Fund webpage.
More information
King County does not administer any part of the WA Cares Fund beyond collecting premiums via payroll deduction and reporting employee pay and hours to ESD. For more information about the program, call 844-CARE4WA (844-227-3492) or use the following links to the WA Cares Fund website:
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Metro Operators of the Month for January and February 2023
Crossposted from Metro Matters
When they’re in the driver’s seat, they are the kind, courteous, and helpful smile that greets you.
Outside of work, they’re volunteering in the community, cycling and hiking the trails, and sprinting on the soccer pitch and the basketball court.
They represent over a century of experience behind the wheel. The operators who drive your bus are as unique as you, and all of them love driving and giving back to their community. Read more.
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Emergency evacuation training available for county-managed building tenants
Cross-posted from Executive Services Express
If you work in person at a county site managed by the Facilities Management Division (FMD), even on a part time or hybrid schedule, you now have access to self-paced, online evacuation training.
This is a shift from when each floor had “floor wardens” who were trained and assigned to help in emergencies. The change comes as a result of the county’s hybrid work environment.
This expanded training ensures that the first capable person to access the floor warden kit during an emergency is able to act as the floor warden for that event. For more information, click here.
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MLK Committee volunteers needed
The employee-led MLK Committee is seeking volunteers. The committee shares responsibility for organizing the annual MLK Celebration and designing the MLK Calendar for 2024.
There are many opportunities available for those who would like to participate. This includes serving as a Larry Gossett Award ambassador, helping decide speakers and performers, artwork selection for the calendar, and much more.
If you are interested, submit your information here by April 24. For questions, reach out to Jasmine Harbor in the Office of Equity, Racial, and Social Justice.
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KCIA hosts first Airport Managers of Puget Sound meeting
Cross-posted from Plane Talk
King County International Airport hosted the first quarterly meeting of a new group, Airport Managers of the Puget Sound (AMPS), last month. Representatives from 11 airports around the region attended.
“It’s to discuss local issues, concerns and updates,” said Dave Decoteau, deputy director at KCIA, who helped launch the group along with Tim Mensonides of Auburn Municipal Airport and Joshua Marcy of Paine Field. “This month we had a discussion on the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the World Cup upcoming in 2026, the transition to unleaded fuel, and hangar wait lists.”
Decoteau explained that the group chose the name, in part, because the acronym, AMPS, is apt given aviation’s move toward electrification. The group is based on a similar one, the Bay Area Airport Managers, that Decoteau participated in when he worked in the San Francisco Bay area.
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New Customer Service Center opens to the public April 20
Cross-posted from Executive Services Express
King County will open its new Customer Service Center to the public on Thursday, April 20 at 8:30 a.m.
The center, located on the second floor of King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St. in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, is designed to be a “one stop shop” for many of the most-requested services offered by King County, including many offered by DES agencies. Read more.
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