Executive visits employees helping to keep County agencies open and staffed
Our Facilities Management Division (FMD) employees have been working hard to remove snow and ice from about 40 buildings, ensuring access is safe for community members and staff. These employees have been working eight days straight with 4 a.m. start times to clear paths around our facilities. Their work has kept buildings safe, and dealt with blown tires and rough roads during poor conditions. They have worked collaboratively with leadership and other agencies while staying overnight, away from their families.
To thank them for their continued dedication, King County Executive Dow Constantine stopped by for a visit Monday morning. He spent time with about 15 employees from different positions, including utility workers, inventory control personnel, supervisors and other tradespeople.
He also visited Metro employees, who have been helping people get around the region in difficult conditions, as well as 911 call takers and staff at the Regional Communications and Emergency Coordination Center (RCECC) who have been coordinating the County’s response to this winter storm.
These rockstar employees are keeping other employees and residents safe, even while exhausted. Thank you to the FMD team, Metro employees and RCECC staff for working hard, with even more snow to come. We appreciate you!
Share this:
King County Metro to restore most bus service as road conditions improve
Crossposted from Metro Matters
King County Executive Dow Constantine Tuesday directed Metro to restore most of its bus service and shift operations to snow routes starting Wednesday, Feb. 13. This will allow Metro to switch from operating its core Emergency Snow Network (ESN) and expand to providing service on at least 90 percent of routes across King County. Road conditions will be evaluated as Metro repairs and restores its fleet and ramps back up to full service in the coming days.
Read more from Metro Matters
Share this:
Most County operations returning to normal Wednesday
Thank you to our awesome employees for your service during these difficult winter weather conditions. Your commitment to public service is clear to see and greatly appreciated.
For Wednesday, Feb. 13, most King County operations will open as normally scheduled:
- Most Executive branch operations will open as regularly scheduled.
- King County Council will operate on regular hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Department of Elections will operate on regular hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Renton Headquarters and annex in Seattle.
- Department of Assessments will open on regular hours.
- District Court will open at 10:30 a.m., with staff reporting at 10 a.m. In-custody calendars will be managed at the King County Jail Courtroom and Auburn Courthouse at 9 a.m. with essential staff.
- Superior Court will open at 10:30 a.m. in all four locations, two hours late, for all departments and all cases.
- The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will open two hours late.
- The Department of Judicial Administration will open two hours late.
Unless otherwise directed by leadership, employees are expected to report to work as scheduled. Questions? Check in with your supervisor or HR Manager. 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. Please refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather to learn more.
Metro will return to snow routes Wednesday, so prepare for snow routes and delays where road conditions are still hazardous. Staff will publish updated online snow route information by early Wednesday morning. Check your route before you leave for your stop in the morning.
Alternative work arrangements: If adjusting a work schedule, working at an alternative location, teleworking, or taking vacation are options for your job, please discuss beforehand with your supervisor. Employees may be able to take a day of accrued vacation or comp time instead of reporting to their normal work location today. Check with your supervisor for more information.
Stay informed: Make sure you’re getting the latest King County information at work and at home in the event of snow:
- Call the Employee Hotline—206-205-8600 (save it to your phone now!).
- Check your King County email for specific directives and updates. Log on at outlook.kingcounty.gov.
- Contact your supervisor for instructions.
- Follow King County on Twitter—@KingCountyWA, @kcmetrobus, @kcroads, and@kcemployees
- Check your agency website or Intranet (if applicable), and monitor local media channels.
- Visit the Emergency News page at kcemergency.com for regional impacts.
KCInform: Make sure you can be reached in a major emergency. If you haven’t yet registered your personal contact or work cell information in KCInform, please contact kcinform@kingcounty.gov anytime or 206-296-3830 between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday to request your unique registration link. Watch this short video to learn more or visit our website.
Share this:
Planning for evening commute today and operations tomorrow
As we continue to dig out of this winter storm, we want to take a moment to thank all of our employees who are working onsite or teleworking to ensure our customers can access the services on which they rely. It has been challenging for our entire community and we appreciate your service.
If you are commuting home this evening, please be extra safe on the roads and let safety guide your commute decisions. King County Metro Transit remains on Emergency Snow Network this evening, with severely limited or no service in some areas of the county. Please allow for another 30-60 minutes in your travel schedules and prepare alternate travel plans. Visit MetroWinter.com to learn more, and follow @kcmetrobus on Twitter for up-to-the-minute information.
If you feel you need to leave work earlier than usual today to get home safely, please discuss this with your supervisor.
OPERATIONS TOMORROW
- Most Executive branch operations will open as normally scheduled tomorrow.
- King County Council will operate on regular hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- The King County Superior Court will open at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow in all four locations, two hours late, for all departments and all cases.
- The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will open two hours late.
- The Department of Judicial Administration will open two hours late.
Look for updates from leadership of other separately elected agencies and branches later this evening. Please check your email, text messages, the Employee Hotline (206-205-8600), or kcemployees.com for the latest on all Countywide operations.
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. Please refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather to learn more.
Metro will return to snow routes Wednesday, so prepare for snow routes and delays where road conditions are still hazardous. Staff will publish updated online snow route information by early Wednesday morning. Check your route before you leave for your stop in the morning.
Alternative work arrangements: If adjusting a work schedule, working at an alternative location, teleworking, or taking vacation are options for your job, please discuss beforehand with your supervisor. Employees may be able to take a day of accrued vacation or comp time instead of reporting to their normal work location today. Check with your supervisor for more information.
Stay informed: Make sure you’re getting the latest King County information at work and at home in the event of snow:
- Call the Employee Hotline—206-205-8600 (save it to your phone now!).
- Check your King County email for specific directives and updates. Log on at outlook.kingcounty.gov.
- Contact your supervisor for instructions.
- Follow King County on Twitter—@KingCountyWA, @kcmetrobus, @kcroads, and@kcemployees
- Check your agency website or Intranet (if applicable), and monitor local media channels.
- Visit the Emergency News page at kcemergency.com for regional impacts.
KCInform: Make sure you can be reached in a major emergency. If you haven’t yet registered your personal contact or work cell information in KCInform, please contact kcinform@kingcounty.gov anytime or 206-296-3830 between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday to request your unique registration link. Watch this short video to learn more or visit our website.
Share this:
UPDATE: District Court, most Superior Court and PAO operations closed today, normal operations for most Executive branch operations, other agencies on delayed opening
District Court will close today except for essential staff for in-custody calendars. Superior Court will close with the exception of both Chief Criminal courts (10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Juvenile Court first appearance calendar (10:30 – 11:30 a.m.). Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is closed with the exception of certain calendars.
Department of Assessments and King County Council will open on a two-hour delay. Elections will operate with Critical Crew In-Person, Online Support & Ballot Box Closing.
Most Executive branch operations will open as normally scheduled today to ensure that customers can access as many of our services as possible during this winter snow event. Unless otherwise directed by department leadership, employees are expected to report to work as scheduled. If you are able to safely commute to your worksite or have an agreement in place to telecommute or work at an alternative location, please do so.
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. Please refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather to learn more.
We appreciate the many employees who were able to be onsite or telework today to deliver the services on which our customer rely. This storm event has made commuting in our region very difficult for many employees. Your supervisors will work with you and be as flexible as possible, given the circumstances and our leave policies. We appreciate our thousands of employees who are doing their best to serve the residents of our County and deliver the best possible service during this protracted winter event.
King County Metro Transit remains on Emergency Snow Network Tuesday while our system recovers from this event. Buses are limited to just 60 core routes, with severely limited or no service in some areas of the county. Please allow for another 30-60 minutes in your travel schedules and prepare alternate travel plans if your route is not in service, and connect to Link light rail service where possible. Dress warmly and be prepared for crowding and potentially longer waits at bus stops. Visit MetroWinter.com to learn more, and follow @kcmetrobus on Twitter for up-to-the-minute information.
School district closures and childcare: Some school districts will close Tuesday, and others will operate on a reduced schedule. Please check with your local school district and have a plan for your kids. When schools are closed and King County operations remain open, employees are expected to report to work as usual, or follow applicable personnel policies.
Stay informed: Make sure you’re getting the latest King County information at work and at home in the event of snow:
- Call the Employee Hotline—206-205-8600 (save it to your phone now!).
- Check your King County email for specific directives and updates. Log on at outlook.kingcounty.gov.
- Contact your supervisor for instructions.
- Follow King County on Twitter—@KingCountyWA, @kcmetrobus, @kcroads, and@kcemployees
- Check your agency website or Intranet (if applicable), and monitor local media channels.
- Visit the Emergency News page at kcemergency.com for regional impacts.
KCInform: Make sure you can be reached in a major emergency. If you haven’t yet registered your personal contact or work cell information in KCInform, please contact kcinform@kingcounty.govanytime or 206-296-3830 between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday to request your unique registration link. Watch this short video to learn more or visit our website.
Share this:
Superior Court, District Court, Elections, Assessments, PAO, Council closed, most Executive branch operations open Monday, Feb. 11
Most Executive branch operations will open as normally scheduled Monday, Feb. 11, to ensure that customers can access as many of our services as possible during this protracted winter snow event. Unless otherwise directed by department leadership, employees are expected to report to work as scheduled. If you are able to safely commute to your worksite or have an agreement in place to telecommute or work at an alternative location, please do so.
District Court, Superior Court, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, King County Council, the Department of Assessments, and the Department of Judicial Administration are closed today. Elections is operating with critical staff and online support only today. Please check for additional information from your agency leadership.
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. Please refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather to learn more.
We understand that this storm event has made commuting in our region very difficult for many employees. Your supervisors will work with you and be as flexible as possible, given the circumstances and our leave policies. We appreciate our thousands of employees who are doing their best to serve the residents of our County and deliver the best possible service during this protracted winter event.
King County Metro Transit remains on Emergency Snow Network Monday and Tuesday. Buses are limited to just 60 core routes, with severely limited or no service in some areas of the county. Please allow for another 30-60 minutes in your travel schedules and prepare alternate travel plans if your route is not in service, and connect to Link light rail service where possible. Dress warmly and be prepared for crowding and potentially longer waits at bus stops. Visit MetroWinter.com to learn more, and follow @kcmetrobus on Twitter for up-to-the-minute information.
School district closures and childcare: Some school districts, including Seattle, have already announced that they will close Monday, and others will operate on a reduced schedule. Please check with your local school district and have a plan for your kids. When schools are closed and King County operations remain open, employees are expected to report to work as usual, or follow applicable personnel policies.
Parking at County garages:If you left a vehicle Friday in one of the County garages, please retrieve the vehicle before 5:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 11, to avoid additional charges.
Stay informed: Make sure you’re getting the latest King County information at work and at home in the event of snow:
- Call the Employee Hotline—206-205-8600 (save it to your phone now!).
- Check your King County email for specific directives and updates. Log on at outlook.kingcounty.gov.
- Contact your supervisor for instructions.
- Follow King County on Twitter—@KingCountyWA, @kcmetrobus, @kcroads, and@kcemployees
- Check your agency website or Intranet (if applicable), and monitor local media channels.
- Visit the Emergency News page at kcemergency.com for regional impacts.
KCInform: Make sure you can be reached in a major emergency. If you haven’t yet registered your personal contact or work cell information in KCInform, please contact kcinform@kingcounty.govanytime or 206-296-3830 between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday to request your unique registration link. Watch this short video to learn more or visit our website.
Share this:
RASKC honored with participation in state wide “No Kill” effort
Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) has been elected to sit at the board for Pet Alliance of Washington, with manger Dr. Gene Mueller serving as Secretary.
“Regional Animal Services of King County is excited and enthusiastic to work with the Alliance to help pets and people across the State, while we in turn grow and learn from colleagues,” says Dr. Gene Mueller, RASKC Manager and Secretary of Pet Alliance of Washington.
The Pet Alliance of Washington was created to increase the lifesaving efforts of organizations in Washington State that provide care for homeless cats and dogs, and is committed to achieving a 90% live release rate for cats and dogs in Washington State by 2020, and helping all individual participating agencies to reach a live release rate of 90% by 2025.
It is pleased to announce the election of Melanie Rushforth, executive director of Northwest Spay and Neuter Center; Lisa Feder, vice president and director of shelter operations of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, Dr. Gene Mueller, manager of Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC); and Dawn Davies, executive director of Wenatchee Valley Humane Society. They will serve as chair, co-chair, secretary and treasurer of the Alliance respectively.
Share this:
Pet of the Week: Checkers
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
We’re not playing games – Checkers is our awesome Pet of the Week!
This young pittie mix loves exploring, so he is looking for an adventurous family who can help get his energy out through exercise and keeping his mind busy. Because he’s so spirited, he’s one of our “Rambunctious Red” personality pets. Checkers already knows “sit,” “lay down,” and “off,” but he is still working on his manners.
Read more from Tails from RASKC
Share this:
Training Spotlight: Basic Data Visualization and Facilitating Effective Meetings
Basic Data Visualization, April 10: Our ability to gather and collect data has steadily increased over the past decade. But data alone is not information and does not easily convey a compelling story. This half-day introductory course will allow participants to understand why data visualization is important, explore ways to tell a story with data, and mock up data visualizations in whiteboard exercises, using tips explored in class. Register and learn more.
Facilitating Effective Meetings, April 16: This one day training covers the skills used by a facilitator to design and run an effective meeting. How to be a better participant is also discussed. Topics include specific facilitation skills, group decision making skills, and how to deal with disruptive behaviors. Register and learn more.
Share this:
Non-mission critical King County functions for Executive branch closing 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8
Due to heavy snow in the forecast, non-mission critical functions for the Executive branch will close at 2 p.m. today, Friday, Feb. 8. Please be extra safe in your commute and check for any impacts or delays before leaving.
Priority and mission-critical services will continue to be provided in accordance with department emergency planning. First responders and other mission critical staff are expected to report to or remain at their work location at the usual time. This includes, but is not limited to, corrections officers, 9-1-1 call center operators, emergency personnel, security staff, and certain senior managers. If you are not sure of your designation, please contact your supervisor. As always, directors can use their discretion to keep operations to open later than 2 p.m. where appropriate.
All regular, provisional, probationary, and term-limited temporary employees who were scheduled to work today and are working today will receive regular pay for the remaining hours they are scheduled to work today. This applies for hourly and exempt employees. Temporary (other than appointed, provisional, probationary and TLT), administrative interns, and non-regular part-time employees will only be paid for hours actually worked during a facility closure. Please refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather for more information.
If you feel you need to leave before 2 p.m. to get home safely, please discuss this with your supervisor.
Other agencies and branches:
- Department of Assessments: Closing at 1 p.m.
- District Court: Closing at 2 p.m. Jail calendars will be held at Seattle and MRJC this afternoon.
- Superior Court: Closing at 2 p.m.
- Department of Judicial Administration / Superior Court Clerk’s Office: Closing at 2:30 p.m.
- Prosecuting Attorney’s Office: Closing 2 p.m.
- King County Elections: Closing 2 p.m.
- King County Council: Closing noon.
Please be extra safe in your commute and check your bus schedule before departing to find out if it is operating on a regular or reduced schedule, or snow route. Check for information on your route on Metro’s Snow, Ice and Flood Alerts webpage, Metro’s adverse weather page, or sign up for Metro Transit Alerts (text, email, tweets via @kcmetrobus, see RSS feed via desktop or mobile RSS reader).
Employee News 