Hurricane Harvey – How you can help
Crossposted from KC Employee Giving Program
On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane in Texas. Over the weekend, it brought with it devastating flooding and destruction. See full article from New York Times here.
“This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced,” ~National Weather Service
The greatest anticipated needs after a natural disaster are typically for medical assistance, shelter, clean water, and relief supplies. The long-term needs of many communities are even more critical as communities rebuild and economies recovery.
Read more at KC Employee Giving Program
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KCIT ramps up training opportunities
You asked for it, we’re delivering it! KCIT is ramping up employee training opportunities in technology. KCIT now has a team dedicated to teaching you basic SharePoint, intermediate SharePoint, CRM, Skype for Business, and, our new favorite for data fiends, Power BI (Business Intelligence – this is new!). These technology tools help you get work more collaboratively, get work done and stay organized. We promise, they will quickly become a standard for your workgroup.
Check out our training schedule here (SharePoint).
The extra training on our calendar is Crucial Conversations, a two-day class that helps us change our mindset about difficult conversations. In short, they don’t have to be difficult. All our training comes with a small fee, but it is much cheaper than external training.
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Collaborative effort announces $2.25 million in emergency funding
King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and Seattle Foundation announced a combined $2.25 million in emergency funding for critical services for immigrants, refugees, and other residents whose health, safety, and human rights are at risk.
The 38 nonprofits that successfully competed for the funding will provide a wide range of services, such as training for educators and mental-health providers who teach or provide treatment to immigrants and refugees. Other examples include providing critical legal services, preventing wage theft, launching a Know Your Rights campaign, and engaging the most vulnerable populations in the immigrant and refugee community.
“We proudly uphold the American promise that we are a nation that welcomes those fleeing oppression, seeking opportunity, and yearning for freedom,” said Executive Constantine. “We have created partnerships that will reinforce King County’s reputation as an inclusive community where all are welcome to build a better life.”
Read more in the official press release.
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Executive Constantine: Go simple with $2.75 Metro fare
Metro currently has one of the most complex fare structures in the nation, with one zone for the City of Seattle and another for all areas outside the city, as well as extra charges during the morning and evening commute.
One-third of riders in a recent survey said the current system is too complex and difficult to understand. In a proposal to the King County Council announced, Executive Constantine streamlined Metro fares to $2.75, and increased funding for discounted tickets.
“You said you wanted simpler fares, and we made it happen. No matter where or when you ride, simpler is better,” said Executive Constantine. “Whether you’re traveling between Ballard and Bellevue, White Center and Westlake, or anywhere that crosses the Seattle city limits, this new fare means money in your pocket. For riders who may end up paying a little more, we’re making sure people with low incomes, seniors, and the disabled and have more access to transit than ever.”
Read more in the official press release.
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Internships at KCDOT can lead to careers
Crossposted from Inside Transportation
You never know where an internship can lead. Some of King County DOT’s top managers got their start as interns at the County. We’ve seen the demonstrable benefits of cultivating young minds that can bring fresh ideas and talent to public service, and in particular to the transit industry.
KCDOT’s intern program began as an offshoot of the Federal Work-Study program, and ever since then, hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students have generated innovative ideas, written meaningful policy, and refined and streamlined processes which have improved the lives of our residents. Scroll down to meet ten of our current interns in Metro Transit. If history is any guide, there is no limit to what they might achieve.
State Court of Appeals Judge Marlin Appelwick, who also served 16 years in the Washington State Legislature, was one of the earliest interns at KCDOT. He worked on legislation which led to the implementation of the Vanpool program.
Read more at Inside Transportation
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All Home Director Mark Putnam featured in blog about changing homelessness narrative
All Home Director Mark Putnam recently contributed a guest blog to the Seattle Foundation called “It’s time to change the narrative on homelessness.”
“Changing the way we think about homelessness, which is deeply embedded in our internal and cultural biases, is critical to our ability to meaningfully address the crisis we are faced with today,” Putnam writes in the blog. “While we are housing more people through homeless services than ever, our efforts have failed to match the increasing need. Homelessness has reached emergency levels in Seattle/King County and it is no accident that we find ourselves in these current circumstances.”
Read more at the Seattle Foundation.
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Improving workflow and safety for DAJD staff
The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) is in the process of retiring the 40-year-old system its more than 500 correctional employees use to manage detainees and is replacing it with one that will provide a smoother, more efficient workflow process from booking to release. The department has more than 41 applications that help to manage the various processes throughout the organization. A key deliverable of the new system will be to eliminate as many of these applications as possible.
The new Jail Management System (JMS) will simplify many of the processes of over 30,000 bookings per year, meal disbursements, and the relocation and release of inmates, to name a few.
Nearing his three months with King County, DAJD Senior Business Analyst Allan Browning is leading the business process analyses with the support of five Subject Matter Experts representing knowledge bases across all five department divisions. The project is a collaborative effort with KCIT and is led by Latasha Battle who is the over-all Project Manager from KCIT. The project team is also working closely with all of DAJD’s partner agencies.
In order to provide a preview of what is currently possible within a modern JMS, in late May, the JMS team invited three vendors, Caliber Justice, Tribridge and Black Creek, to demonstrate their JMS solutions. Some of the features they were asked to showcase included Intake and Booking, Mugshot History, Alerts, Risk and Needs Assessments, Inmate Classification, Inmate Programs, Incidents, Visitation, Grievances.
“When compared to the systems demonstrated, it is clear that the current outdated systems, many of which were created as early as 1974, do not provide support for many key functions needed in today’s work environment,” Allan stated.
After conducting a thorough walk-through of the day-to-day interactions at the different facilities, Allan and his team came away with the reinforced understanding that re-engineering the current system, which is comprised of 57 separate subsystems, is no longer an option.
“One area that will see significant improvement with the new JMS is Management Information and Reporting. The new system will provide improved systems for tracking a variety of management information on inmates, community corrections participants, juvenile offenders and staff,” Allan said.
Juvenile Detention alone still uses 132 – and counting – paper forms and at least six paper forms are used to book a newly arriving detainee.
“From the very beginning of the tour, it became apparent to the team that basically every process performed at the Juvenile Detention Center is literally being performed on paper forms,” Allan said. “Comments from the JMS team heard from staff clearly demonstrates their eagerness for the new Jail Management System project to be completed successfully and as soon as possible.”
Currently the new JMS Project team is finalizing documentation of all processes and system requirements in order to complete the development of a Request for Proposal (RFP) to purchase a modern, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) JMS solution to address workflow and safety needs.
“Working in an environment where situational awareness is vital makes it imperative that processes be optimized and create as little distraction as possible,” Allan said. “The JMS team is determined to ensure the new JMS meets all of the needs of DAJD.”
The project could take up to three years to complete the transition from old-to-new JMS. DAJD Director Willie Hayes, the project sponsor, is thankful for everyone’s patience and participation as the project advances.
“I know many of you have heard the old adage, ‘Good things come to those with patience.’ In this case, it’s a really good thing that is coming, and boy have we been patient,” Hayes said.
The next phase is final requirements, which is planned to finish soon so that an RFP can be written and let the end of October or early November 2017.
“While the project seems to be daunting and overwhelming here at the beginning,” Allan said, “I am confident with the upbeat and open attitude of the entire DAJD staff, that the project will be successful.”
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Rev Up For Retirement seminar, Sept. 29
With increased concern over the future of Social Security and the stability of retirement plans, it’s never too early to prepare!
Bring a sack lunch and hear what the Retired Public Employees Council of Washington, the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors and the Social Security Administration have to say about retirement planning, PERS, Medicare, and Social Security.
Friday, September 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eighth Floor Conference Hall, King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St., Seattle
Registration is required. Due to space limitations, only county employees may attend. To register, please e-mail: KC.Orientations@kingcounty.gov.
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Tech Tip: KCIT releases a better way to manage your “Junk” email
King County Security Systems detect SPAM and send it to a special quarantined inbox where users never see it. But occasionally SPAM isn’t really SPAM, it’s just an email sent from an unfamiliar email address. Under the current system, users had to contact the helpdesk in search of an expected email that never arrived.
Now you can double check “Junk” email to make sure you don’t miss important information.
Every day, you will get a special notification in your inbox. It is titled “SPAM Notification”. Inside will be a list of “Junk” emails sent to your email. Most will be “Junk” and you do nothing. However, if an important email is in that notification, use the drop down menu to “Release to Inbox” and the email will be released to your inbox.
WHO this message applies to: All King County Email Users
What can you expect: Every day, users will get a special notification in their inbox. It is titled “SPAM Notification”. Inside will be a list of “Junk” emails sent to your email. Most will be “Junk” and you will do nothing. However, if an important email is in that notification, use the drop down menu to “Report as Not Junk” and the email will be released to your inbox.
The email will come from quarantine@messaging.microsoft.com. If you need to access the quarantine sooner, you can do so by going to https://admin.protection.outlook.com/quarantine and logging in with your email address and Windows password.
WHY: Enabling this feature empowers you to manage your own quarantine. You do not have to contact the Service Center if you have not received an email message that you are expecting. You can check your online quarantine to see if it is there and release it if necessary.
WHAT should I do:
- Pay attention to the emails that you receive from the notification system.
- See picture below for message example.
- If you receive a message that should not be flagged as Junk, click the link that says Release to Inbox.
- If similar messages get flagged often, you can always click on Report as Not Junk.
Please visit the IT Knowledgebase (Intranet) for additional instructions on how to access the quarantine from outside the daily email notification.
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Ride Limebikes for free through Sept. 18
The LimeBikes free ride period has been extended through Sept. 18 for you!
Please remember that even though LimeBikes and bicycles in general provide an amazing and cool way to get around, unfortunately, they are not risk-free. To stay safe, follow the State and King County’s bicycling laws and always wear a helmet!
To learn more about your employee transportation benefits, visit: www.kingcounty.gov/ETP, call me at 206-477-5853, or email me at Hossein.Barahimi@Kingcounty.gov.
Ride On!
Employee News 