Access paratransit brings food to 10,000 families in need during pandemic
Crossposted from Metro Matters
October is Disability Awareness Month – a month to honor individuals whom our King County Metro Access paratransit team celebrates all year long.
Metro’s Access paratransit service provides around one million trips each year to our Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) customers, allowing them to maintain independence and have access to whatever they need to thrive. It’s just one way Metro lives out its mission to provide mobility for all.
In a pandemic, that mobility has looked a little different: Access paratransit has mobilized both people and the food they depended on as a part of its COVID-19 response.
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Pet of the Week: Maxwell
This senior boy is a super sweet adventure cat! He was brought in by his previous family this spring because they were moving. While with us, he’s wandered around the cat building checking things out (with supervision of course), and wasn’t bothered by the other kitties. Unlike many cats, Maxwell would love to go on walks outside on a leash and harness. Maxwell lived with another cat, and his previous family described him as shy but loving. We’ve noticed that he’s definitely an affectionate lovebug who would be thrilled to cuddle up with you at home as the days get colder. His “Rambunctious Red” personality means he’s a spirited cat with a fun-loving personality. Maxwell can get overstimulated with petting, so his adoptive family will need to keep an eye out for signs that he might need a break. So, we think he would do best in a home with a cat-savvy family who knows when to give Maxwell some space.
Read more and view all available pets at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Have you or someone you know adopted a pet from RASKC? Let us know. We’d love to tell your story.
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You returned your ballot, now track it
Our democracy works best when everyone has the opportunity to make their voice heard. Now make sure your vote counts. You can track your ballot to make sure that your vote was counted. Use the My Voter Information tool on the King County Elections website. If an issue with your signature comes up, you’ll be able to see that there and get it fixed so we can count your vote. If you have any questions, reach out. Contact King County Elections by email at elections@kingcounty.gov or call 206-296-VOTE (8683).
Feel free to share that you’re tracking your ballot on social media (tag and follow King County @kcelections on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Hashtags: #Hit90 #BallotTracking #KingCountyVotes #GOTV #VoteWa). You can also access the King County Elections Social Media Toolkit for posts and images you can easily share on your social media.
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Open Enrollment begins Nov. 1 and ends Nov. 15
Make the most of your robust King County employee benefits package by making informed decisions for next year during Open Enrollment, Nov. 1 – 15. Here’s how you can learn more:
- See what’s changing next year.
- Register for a live Open Enrollment information session.
- Watch the Open Enrollment Overview video.
- Find out about the updated PeopleSoft Open Enrollment tool by watching the Completing Open Enrollment with PeopleSoft video or reading the Open Enrollment PeopleSoft Guide.
- Go to the Open Enrollment website.
When you are ready, Go to Open Enrollment Nov. 1 – 15. If you have questions about your benefits or need help with Open Enrollment, contact:
Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations at 206-684-1556 or by email at KC Benefits, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday (closed Veterans Day, Nov. 11). Extended Hours are available from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 and Sunday, Nov. 15. Due to COVID-19, the Benefits office is closed for walk-in service.
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Reminder: 2020 Halloween tips from Public Health
Crossposted from Public Health
Holidays are going to be different this year, no question about it. But we all need to have some festivity, especially in the midst of the all we’ve had to deal with this year. Halloween has some good celebration options since many activities can be outside and mask wearing is part of the holiday, but there are still some risks with COVID circulating. Public Health has tips to prevent illness, help our community stay on track for reopening, and still retain some of the spooky and sweet flavor of Halloween.
First, the basics: when planning your Halloween activities, follow the fundamentals of COVID prevention. Limit close contact with other people, limit touching points, and practice good hand hygiene.
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Supporting animal welfare through the 2020 Annual Giving Drive
This week, we are highlighting nonprofits whose work supports animal welfare. These and hundreds of nonprofits are participating in this year’s Annual Giving Drive.
- Best Friends Animal Society (5007): For 30+ years, we’ve run the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals and built effective programs reducing the number of animals entering shelters.
- Eastside Audubon (994): We work to protect birds, other wildlife, and our community’s natural resources through education, advocacy, community science, and habitat restoration.
- Marine Mammal Center (2792): Thousands of orphaned, sick and injured marine mammals would have died if not for our state-of-the-art animal care and research facilities, dedicated volunteers, and you.
Find out the many ways that you can take action in support of the participating nonprofits who are doing great work in our community and around the world. Make a donation, make a difference, and help make a long-lasting change.
From now to Nov. 20, you can go online or use a paper form to make a pledge to your favorite Employee Giving Program nonprofits by:
- Payroll donation: One-time, once–per-month, or twice-per-month.
- Time donation: Eligible vacation or comp time. See your department Lead Ambassador for details in your office.
- Check or credit card: Made out directly to the nonprofit.
- Volunteering: Up to three sick days per calendar year at a nonprofit in the EGP (for non-represented and employees whose union has approved this benefit, including those covered by the Master Labor Agreement).
For more information, contact your Employee Giving Program Ambassador, visit www.kingcounty.gov/giving, email EmployeeGiving@KingCounty.gov or call 206-263-9405.
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King County is moving to Teams – Learn to make a call
By now, many employees have been notified that Skype is retiring and King County is moving to Teams. Most employees will move by the end of the year, and KCIT will let each person know multiple times by email when that happens for them.
For those employees wondering how Teams will work for their phone calls, the process is super easy.
Below is a sneak peek at the new Teams screen showing how to make a call. KCIT will let each employee know when Teams phone calls are turned on.
Moving to Microsoft Teams is a big change, and KCIT is here to make it easy for each employee. There is a robust plan to support employees through this change:
- KCIT Training Hub – Employees are encouraged to learn more about Calling in Teams, or explore other Teams features on the KCIT Training Hub Teams page.
- Teams Live Labs – Before employees make the move to Teams for calls, meetings and chats, they will have the chance to attend an online, live lab for an overview of Teams and a chance to get questions answered. KCIT will share an invitation for these labs when the time comes.
For questions or more information, visit the Skype-to-Teams FAQs or contact the Helpdesk to get connected to a KCIT Trainer.
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Extension of mandatory telecommuting through July 5, 2021
King County Executive Dow Constantine
Dear fellow King County employee,
This has been a challenging year. We’ve had to radically change many aspects of our lives. The way we work has shifted dramatically for all of us, whether you are working onsite and remotely. First responders and employees delivering in-person services continue to do extraordinary work, adjusting to new safety measures and protocols. Teleworkers have adapted to new technology and changes in the way services are offered. Employees with school-aged children are juggling multiple roles, while the demands of work remain. I thank you for your efforts.
Here in King County and around the country, we are seeing an alarming rise in positive cases of COVID-19. With the arrival of cooler, wetter weather we need to ensure that we continue to do whatever we can to slow the spread of the virus.
With so much uncertainty surrounding our lives, I want to provide a degree of certainty for our County operations going into 2021. That is why I am extending mandatory telecommuting through July 5, 2021, for all Executive Branch employees who are currently telecommuting, except where there is an operational need to physically return to the workplace. King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci, Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, Assessor John Wilson, and Elections Director Julie Wise, have also mandated telecommuting for their employees through July 5, where appropriate. In-person customer services that are currently suspended will also remain suspended through July 5, 2021, except where there is an operational need to shift to in-person service. Employees in other branches of County government may receive additional guidance from their leaders. Please see the full guidance and definitions here.
I have made these decisions based on Public Health guidance for how we can make our workplaces safer for employees and the people we serve. By limiting the number of people in our facilities and on our roads and transit system, we can keep our worksites safer for those employees delivering in-person services.
Decisions on when teleworking employees should return to County worksites will be based on Public Health guidance. I have asked department directors to look beyond July 5 – ultimately towards a time when COVID-19 is no longer a threat to our community – and plan for what the future of our work will look like. Depending on where you work, this may include some combination of part-time or full-time telework and in-person services, and a reimagining of counter services and office space needs.
I have asked for these plans by the end of December 2020 for Administration Building occupants, and the end of March 2021 for non-Administration Building occupants. I look forward to reviewing these plans and sharing them with you in 2021.
Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, I urge you to get a flu shot. While the flu shot won’t protect you from COVID-19, it can reduce your risk of getting the flu, help protect vulnerable populations by slowing its spread, and conserve health care resources so health care professionals can treat COVID-19 and other illnesses. Your health and well-being are imperative, and I urge you to take measures to keep yourself, your family, and your community as safe as possible.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
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Learn about the Benefit Access Fee
Are you covering a spouse or state-registered domestic partner on your King County medical plan next year? If so, a monthly Benefit Access Fee may apply, depending on the medical plan you choose and your employee benefit group, as shown below. The Kaiser Permanente SmartCare medical plan has no Benefit Access Fees.
If you are eligible for an exemption to the Benefit Access Fee, you must select this each year during Open Enrollment, Nov. 1–15.
Benefit Access Fee exemptions
- If your benefit group and medical plan have a Benefit Access Fee, it automatically applies each year. This monthly pre-tax payroll deduction begins in January. If you qualify for one of the following exemptions to the Benefit Access Fee, you must select the exemption every year during Open Enrollment:
- Your spouse or domestic partner is a King County benefits-eligible employee.
- Your spouse or domestic partner does NOT have access to medical coverage through their own employer.
- You are enrolling in the Kaiser SmartCare medical plan, or, for Regular and Deputy Sheriff employees, the KingCare Select plan.
If you later notify the Benefits team that you qualify for an exemption and would like to discontinue the Benefit Access Fee, that change will be made going forward, but fees already deducted will not be refunded.
Learn more about Benefit Access Fees and Open Enrollment
- Go to Benefit Access Fees
- Attend an Open Enrollment information session
- Watch the Open Enrollment Overview video,
- Go to the Open Enrollment web page
- Contact the Benefits team at 206-684-1556 or KC Benefits
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A Voter’s Guide to the Finish Line: Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
Crossposted from Election Connection
Election Day is officially a week away! Can you believe it? With ballots mailed and drop boxes open since mid-October, here at King County Elections, we’ve been in the middle of an election for a while now and are going full speed ahead!
This year, we projected record-breaking turnout at 90%, and it looks like we’re well on our way! King County has shown up and we’re already at about 55% turnout. Out of 1.4 million registered voters, we’ve had more than 800,000 ballots returned already! We’ve never seen early turnout like this. To hit 90% turnout, we still need to hear from over half a million King County voters.
Employee News 