Proposed 2015/2016 biennial budget address
Dear fellow King County employee –
King County Executive Dow Constantine
Here is the full text of the speech I delivered this morning to the King County Council, transmitting the first full biennial budget in county history. You can see the speech in its entirety here.
As I told the Councilmembers, a budget is more than just another spreadsheet; its numbers impact the lives of real people. Like I shared with you Friday, I outlined how our revenues are constrained by the state to a level below that of population growth plus inflation. I discussed how the repeal of progressive state taxes and the loss of state and federal funds affect our ability to provide public transit, public health, and the services you provide every day.
I outlined the consequences in this proposed budget of “smaller government by default” – the unavoidable elimination of more than 500 positions – in particular at Metro Transit, where volatile sales taxes that support transit have not recovered since the recession, and at Public Health, where services funded primarily by state and federal funds have seen continual decline and even abrupt withdrawal.
After accounting for vacancies and attrition, the number of actual employee layoffs is just over 200 today. Full details are contained in this Executive Summary.
I told the Council we need a long-term strategy to reduce demand on services funded in the King County Budget, a strategy to prevent such crises as incarceration, violence, diabetes, and mental illness that require the bulk of our budgets today.
So today I called for a regional investment in healthy children and communities. I asked the Council and our community partners to join me – and I ask you to join me – in the process of developing a levy to build a more prosperous and equitable King County by assuring that every baby born in our community and every child raised here has a strong start in life. Call it “Best Starts for Kids.”
Prevention is the key. Over the next several months, I will work with partners in our Health and Human Services Transformation Plan partners, the Youth Action Plan Task Force, and other community leaders to forward a funding proposal to the Council in 2015.
Once again, I assure you that I will keep working to fix systems and create the innovations and partnerships we need to deliver the services the public expects.
The budget address is only the first step in a two-month public process, leading to Council adoption in November of a final County budget. You can learn more about my budget proposal at the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget website, and keep track of the Council’s deliberations at the Council Budget site.
Thank you for your hard work and commitment to serving the people of King County.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
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Watch 2015/2016 budget proposal today at 11 a.m.
King County Executive Dow Constantine will transmit his 2015/2016 budget proposal to the Metropolitan King County Council today, Monday, Sept. 22, at 11 a.m. You can watch the 2015/2016 Executive Proposed Budget address at 11 a.m. by visiting http://www.kingcounty.gov/KCTV.aspx and clicking the link on the right hand side that says “Watch Us Live”.
You can also watch a short video featuring Budget Director Dwight Dively giving an overview of what’s causing King County’s revenue shortfall. Dively explains the state’s tax structure and the broken system of providing revenues for King County, even when property taxes increase and the economy is booming. Watch the video.
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Kudos! Public Defense employees help client build career path
Edwin Aralica, a felony attorney at Associated Counsel for the Department of Public Defense’s Accused Division (ACAD), and Sue Wood, a mitigation specialist at ACAD, recently learned that their efforts to help a young single mother have made a profound difference in her life. Edwin and Sue successfully kept their client out of prison and got her into the new Family Offender Sentencing Alternative program, despite the prosecutor’s opposition. Edwin also helped her address some other legal issues in her life, including a problem with her driver’s license. She now has her GED, has completed chemical dependency treatment and is enrolled in an apprenticeship program. Her Department of Corrections Community Corrections Officer (CCO) sent an email to Edwin recently, thanking him for his ongoing support. “It made a world of difference for her,” the CCO said. Without his helping her keep her driver’s license, the CCO added, “She might not ever have gotten into the college trade classes.”
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Firefighters and County employees get valuable emergency training
Area firefighters and County employees are getting some valuable emergency training this week thanks to the County’s Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD). WTD is hosting one of the largest and most successful regional fire department hazardous materials drills at the South Treatment Plant in Renton. Exercises like this provide reality-based scenarios, spaces and equipment for the emergency responders to test, train and advance their skills. WTD hosted similar events in 2010 and 2012.
This exercise is held and coordinated in and around the old decommissioned chlorine building and chemical tanks. It features some very unique and advanced chemical spill response scenarios. The cities and fire departments participating include Kent, Eastside, Renton, Redmond, South King County, Duvall, Bellevue, Tukwila, Woodinville, Bothell, and Kirkland. The four-day long series of drills and response exercises runs through Monday, Sept 15 through Thursday Sept 18. Find out more.
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Bailiff enjoys variety of job minus the TV drama
Jacqueline “Jaye” Ware considers herself a traditional bailiff. 
“I could be defined as an old fashioned bailiff in that I take courtroom conduct and decorum seriously,” Ware said. “It is rare for me to joke or kid around with lawyers or parties in the courtroom as I believe it is essential that the court maintain every appearance of fairness, even more so if there are spectators.”
But she also realizes that putting jurors at ease is an important part of her role.
“I am more relaxed around the jurors, as I think it is important to put them at ease and help them feel valued and appreciated, particularly when they are essentially volunteering their service and time at $10 a day. I make every effort to avoid partiality and to do what is within my power to ensure members of the public contacting the court have a positive encounter and experience,” Ware said.
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Department of Retirement Systems Updates
Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations wants to ensure our employees are notified of some important changes regarding their pension plans.
New DRS Employee Rates in 2015
Based on an actuarial review of the state pension plans, the Washington State Pension Funding Council approved a graduated approach to increasing member and employer contributions. This approach will spread out the impact of increased contributions over a number of years while still ensuring the impacted pension plans remain stable and robust. For employees participating in the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS), the rate will increase on July 1, 2015, from 4.92% to 6.12%. For the Public Safety Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS), the employee rate will increase on July 1, 2015, from 6.36% to 6.59%. No changes are anticipated for LEOFF. For more information on these rate changes, please click on http://www.drs.wa.gov/news-announcements/.
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Kudos! Detective Edward Christian and Deputy Michael Cavell, King County Sheriff’s Office
A huge thank you to Detective Christian and Deputy Michael Cavell for their concern and prompt response when my cell phone was stolen at Century Link event center before the WSU game on August 28th. These two gentleman jumped right in to help me, and actually figured out who the thief was by doing a quick, intelligent investigation on the spot. Within 90 minutes, they were able to identify the thief, confront her and arrest her; and I got my phone back that evening… Deputy Cavell and Detective Christian… went above and beyond to locate the thief (it was a woman who worked at the event center) and make sure it was returned to me in time to make it to the airport and return to Spokane that evening. All I can say is THANK YOU! Without Detective Christian and Deputy Cavell, I would have lost a $600 iPhone and this thief would continue to burglarize people at the event center. I am so grateful for their willingness to get involved and their intelligence to figure it out. Thank you to the King County Sheriff’s Department–your employees are the BEST!
– Kelly S
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Get matching funds for your Giving Drive events
The Employee Giving Program is getting healthier this year.
Health Match, created in partnership with Healthy Incentives, rewards those who host healthy events during the Annual Giving Drive. 
The two award-winning programs put their heads together to create something that has possibly never been done before in the public sector.
The program promotes healthy EGP events by offering a match pool, where every dollar raised during the event will be stretched. Now, those who host healthy events for the Employee Giving Drive have a reason to host “health approved” events — free money to donate.
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WTD named a Diversity Leader
King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division was recognized as a 2014 diversity leader in engineering and information technology by the magazine Diversity/Careers, joining organizations like IBM, the U.S. Navy and Microsoft.
The woman-owned publication is targeted to women and minority groups interested in careers in engineering and information technology. The magazine asked its online readers to look at a list of companies and organizations to identify which ones exemplified workforce and supplier diversity. Participants had an option to add or delete organizations from the list. 
WTD was one of the five organizations selected under the Engineering, Construction & Infrastructure category. The other organizations under the category were Baker Hughes, CH2M Hill, HNTB, Turner Construction Company and URS Corporation.
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Benefit changes for 2015
Dear Fellow Employee/Union Member:
Recently the Joint Labor and Management Insurance Committee (JLMIC) agreed to modest changes in 2015 benefits that will lower the County’s costs and protect the health of employees and their families.
Last year the County and labor announced a new way of negotiating benefits that allows us to adjust benefits more regularly so we can be more responsive to market conditions. To keep you updated the JLMIC created a website with background on who we are, how we negotiate and what’s happening with health care costs.
Employee News 