Modernize aquatic centers, enhance parks, restore river corridors, expand access to outdoor recreation: Executive Braddock announces $31 million in King County Parks Levy grant funding
King County Executive Shannon Braddock today announced her proposal for $31 million in Parks Levy funding that would modernize aquatic centers, enhance parks and trails, restore river corridors, and expand access to outdoor recreation. The King County Parks Levy has generated a combined $88.6 million for community grants since it was approved by voters in August 2019.
Half of the funding would help city- and school-operated aquatic centers make swimming pools more accessible to children and families of all abilities while assisting with electrical, plumbing, and heating upgrades. City parks throughout King County would be able to add amenities, such as new spray parks in Kent and Seattle and a canoe launch along the Duwamish River in Tukwila. It would also make it possible for more young people to enjoy healthy after-school and summer activities, particularly in underserved communities.
Executive Braddock’s proposal is subject to approval by the King County Council. Read more.
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King County at the 2025 Ragnar Relay
For the eighth time since 2016, King County runners showed up at the start line of the Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage at International Peace Arch Park. They continued the relay along 189 miles to the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds in Langley, on Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12.
With members from the King County Assessor’s Office, the Executive Office, the Department of Executive Services, Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, King County Information Technology, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and the Department of Community and Human Services, each runner took on three legs over 32 hours in the sun-drenched hot temperatures for this annual event.
If you are interested in learning about the Ragnar Race, contact Al Dams at al.dams@kingcounty.gov or Seth Watson at seth.watson@kingcounty.gov to be added to the distribution list.
If you are interested in the Ragnar Rainier Trail Relay on Aug. 22-23, email Angel Sanchez at ansanchez@kingcounty.gov, or Jasmine Anderson at jaanderson@kingcounty.gov.
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Summer Mindfulness schedule from Balanced You
Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment—free from distraction or judgment. It’s a proven method to reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being. Balanced You partners with mindfulness providers CuriosityBased, SolJoy, and Mindfulness Northwest.
The new summer schedule is here! Check it out here.
Supervisors: Here is a printer-friendly PDF with the Mindfulness summer 2025 schedule to post at your worksites for employees who do not have access to email.
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Sign up for ballot alerts
Visit kce.wiki/BallotAlert to receive a text or email when King County Elections (KCE) has received your ballot back at Elections Headquarters, and when your signature has been verified.
KCE will send you a reminder to vote before Election Day, and an alert if there’s any issue with your signature.
Ballot alerts are the best way to track your ballot through every part of the process! Sign up today at kce.wiki/BallotAlert.
For more information about King County Elections, visit kingcounty.gov/elections.
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July 31 is the third payday of the month
King County employees have a biweekly payroll schedule and get paid every other Thursday. Most months have two paydays, but some months have three and July 31, 2025, is the third payday of the month. This year, there are 27 paydays.
If you view your paystub, you may see that the net dollar amount of these “third” paychecks is larger because not all deductions are taken out. For example, Deferred Compensation, supplemental insurance premiums, Benefit Access Fees, and Employee Giving donations are not deducted from these checks.
While you are in in PeopleSoft, it’s a good time to complete the following important tasks:
- View or print your W-2 by choosing the Payroll tile and View W-2/W-2c Forms.
- Review your W-4 and make sure it’s up to date. You can update your W-4 by selecting the Payroll tile, then W-4 Tax Information.
- Check your personal information, and make sure it’s correct. Go to the Personal Details tile, make sure all items are current—especially your mailing address and email—and save any changes.
For more information about your paycheck, go to Payroll or speak with your department Payroll representative or timekeeper.
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Seattle’s Aurora Avenue N. gets 24/7 bus lanes, giving nearly 14,000 daily riders better service
Crossposted from Metro Matters
Thanks to voter-approved funding through the Seattle Transportation Levy and Seattle Transit Measure, buses will run more smoothly during Revive I-5, other summer construction, and beyond, improving the citywide transit network and keeping people moving.
We’ve completed major improvements along Aurora Avenue N. in partnership with King County Metro, adding expanded 24/7 bus lanes from downtown Seattle to N. 145th St, the city’s northern limits!
These all-day bus-only lanes improve frequency and reliability on Metro’s highest-ridership route, the RapidRide E Line, for nearly 14,000 transit riders daily. Read more.
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Celebrating a record number of graduates from King County Children, Youth and Young Adult Division programs!
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
More than 234 young people celebrated earning their secondary credentials (GEDs or high school diplomas) last month thanks to several programs managed by the department’s Children, Youth, and Young Adults Division (CYYAD). Many of these young people also earned college credits.
CYYAD operates three learning centers for young people ages 16 to 24. Run by our team of dedicated social services professionals, these centers engage young people by connecting them with education and employment services after leaving or being pushed out of traditional high school without a credential. Read more.
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Supervisor Spotlight: Highlighting those behind the scenes who keep us moving
Crossposted from Metro Matters
It takes a lot of people to keep a transit system running smoothly across 150 routes and over 300,000 boardings a day.
Bus drivers are the most visible part of any transit system, and there are people behind the scenes who are just as vital in the day-to-day operation of King County Metro.
Their responsibilities include training operators, planning the routes that run throughout the region, and literally being the “traffic controllers” who keep track of the buses on their daily runs. Read more.
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Refuge Outdoor Festival returns to King County’s Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground, elevating BIPOC youth leadership in the outdoors
King County Parks welcomes the Refuge Outdoor Festival back to Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground in Carnation for its eighth year Aug 22-24, offering a weekend of workshops, outdoor recreation, art, music and community in nature designed by and for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
In a climate of shrinking public investment in outdoor recreation, organizers view the festival’s continued presence as a reflection of deep community resilience.
“We’re proud to continue hosting the Refuge Outdoor Festival at Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground and to support events that reflect the diversity and strength of our communities,” said King County Parks Director Warren Jimenez. “It’s especially inspiring to see young leaders at the center of this work, shaping the future of the outdoors.”
Festival information and tickets are available at the event website. Read more.
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Green Workforce Development Training receives Innovation Award for Equity and Racial and Social Justice
The recipient of the 2024 Best-Run Government Innovation Award for Equity and Racial and Social Justice is the Green Workforce Development Training program. Developed by the Solid Waste Division in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks – with a big assist from community-based organizations – the innovative job training program protects the environment, provides high-demand job skills to BIPOC and frontline communities, and helps the building industry meet requirements to deconstruct buildings and salvage materials that may still have value. Eighteen participants have completed the training, and several have moved into jobs in the demolition-and-construction industry. The Green Workforce Development Training Project Team comprised Brody Abbott, Kinley Deller, Quest Jolliffe, Nori Catabay, and Jesse Gonzalez.
In developing the training program, the Solid Waste Division identified a connection among several factors in our region:
- An increased demand for skills in environmental protection and an increase in green job opportunities in deconstruction and related fields
- Not enough skilled workers with expertise in deconstruction and salvage to meet the industry demand
- Disparities in household income, with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) households earning below the county average
“Our forward-thinking team created a training program that helps the building industry address a worker shortage in deconstruction and salvage services and provides skills to BIPOC and frontline communities that can lead to better paying jobs and help close the economic and wealth gap,” said Rebecca Singer, director of the Solid Waste Division. “This serves both Solid Waste’s long-term business goals and the County’s equity and racial and social justice priorities.”
Monisha Harrell, director of the Office of Equity and Racial and Social Justice and sponsor of the award noted, “The Green Workforce Development Training focuses on several of King County’s Determinants of Equity, including community and economic development, equity in County practices, health and human services, healthy built and natural environment, and jobs and job training. It moves us closer to our True North of being a thriving community on multiple fronts.”
King County contracted with three BIPOC community-based organizations (CBOs) that work with previously incarcerated individuals to recruit trainees interested in deconstruction, salvage, and reuse of materials. A key to the success of the program was the CBOs willingness to partner on all logistics, including transportation, case management, wrap-around services, equipment, classroom and digital infrastructure, language, insurance, liability, and stipend payments.
A notable feature of the training program was compensating trainees for their classroom time and onsite work during training. Receiving a living wage while attending training increased the likelihood a participant would finish the program. Also, the training was not limited to English speakers; training materials were provided in other languages as needed.
Staff also worked closely with Contract Management, Risk, Finance, and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to resolve challenges. “The project team didn’t do this alone,” said Brody Abbott, project program manager in the Recycling and Environmental Services Section. “We had support within the County and the community to develop an innovative training program that benefits individuals, the building industry, and the environment.”
Feedback from CBOs indicates this training is not offered anywhere else to the frontline community. Two cohorts of the Green Workforce Development Training have been held, and 18 individuals have graduated. All are interested in continuing in the construction and demolition industry. As part of their hands-on instruction, trainees helped divert an estimated 40,100 pounds of re-usable building materials from landfills – the equivalent to a greenhouse gas reduction of 24.9 metric tons of CO2 or conserving 2,750 gallons of gasoline.
In 2024, the training was expanded to include a certified apprenticeship program – Roots of Success – that offers job readiness and general environmental stewardship skills that will help launch participants into careers in the growing deconstruction industry. Learn more about the Green Workforce Development Training program here.
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