Executive meets with employees from Native American Leadership Council  

King County Executive Dow Constantine recently met with employees from the County’s Native American Leadership Council (NALC) to learn about their experiences as employees, what the County can do to bring more Native American employees into its workforce and help them advance, and how the County can be more effective in serving Native people in local communities.  At his November 19 Employee Listening Session, Executive Constantine discussed a wide range of issues with Tristen Gardner from the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program, Andy Boland from Parks Division, Natasha Frazier from the Department… Read More

Take the King County Parks and Trails User Survey!

What do you think of King County Parks such as Cougar Mountain, Marymoor Park or the Sammamish River Trail? As part of our commitment to improving visitor experience, King County Parks is looking for visitor opinions – what’s great about King County’s parks, trails, and natural areas, and what could be improved to make them even better. Take our survey to provide feedback! The survey will be open until Dec. 7.  Upon completing the survey, respondents can leave their email addresses to be entered in a drawing to win two tickets to a concert at… Read More

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like driving a 60-foot-long articulated Metro bus, you’re not alone 

Crossposted from Metro Matters  King County Metro’s 3,000 drivers make it look easy. They’re master curb huggers and their turning radius down sometimes busy and narrow streets in Seattle and across King County is on point! To get a better sense of the widths and turning radius of buses, the team at the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) got together with Metro’s safety and training sections to go for a spin.  Read more here or watch the video below. 

Roads crews prep for winter weather 

Crossposted from Keeping Communities Connected For the King County Road Services Division, known as Roads, it’s never too early to begin prepping for snow, ice and other wintery weather. Recently, planning work began with partner jurisdictions, King County Metro, school districts and emergency service providers to determine which routes will be plowed during a major weather event. The priority routes are now mapped and available on the Roads Snow and Ice webpage. Read more at Keeping Communities Connected

Updating Industrial Waste Fee Structure: Next Steps – Fall 2018 

Crossposted from Clean Water Stories  The King County Industrial Waste (KCIW) program has been working on a proposal to update the structure of its fee system. Changes require a two-step decision-making process. First the King County Council considers updating the King County Code. Pending Council approval, the Department of Natural Resources and Parks develops a Public Rule.  Thirty-year old fee structure is out of date KCIW is funded by fees paid by regulated facilities, and the range of facilities we regulate has changed over the last 30 years. These changes follow national… Read More

Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to our employees, their families and the community 

We would like to take the time to say how thankful we are for our employees and their dedication to making King County a welcoming community and a great place to live, and for supporting and serving the 2.1 million people who call this part of the world home. You drive the way that we innovate, connect and excel in our service to our community and people across the region. King County never stops serving, and we send a special thank you to the employees – bus operators, corrections officers, sheriff’s deputies,… Read More

King County Superior Court celebrates forever families  

This Thanksgiving week, King County Superior Court wants to thank the nearly 500 families who stepped up across Washington State this year to adopt children. These children are international adoptions, step-family adoptions, but most are foster care adoptions. November is National Adoption Month and on Friday, Nov. 16, Superior Court celebrated with 23 of those families including 17-year-old Delontea Sallee who spent seven years in the foster care system before his new mom, Amanda, stepped up to make sure Delontea has a family and someone who will help support him through college. Check out Delontea’s story on… Read More

Pet of the Week: Maya

Crossposted from Tails from RASKC Active, playful Maya is our Pet of the Week! This young Rhodesian Ridgeback mix was brought in by her previous owners because she was a bit too rowdy. So, she’s one of our “Rambunctious Red” pets – very independent, full of energy, and loves to play! Read more at Tails from RASKC

King County 2019-2020 budget approved by Council  

King County Executive Dow Constantine’s proposed 2019-20 budget was approved by County Councilmembers Tuesday, Nov. 13.  “I thank members of the King County Council for their careful review of my proposed 2019-2020 budget, and for supporting our shared priorities. For an environment in crisis – I proposed and we are funding real solutions to restore and protect natural habitat. For the homeless – shelter and services that lead to a better life.   “For the hundreds of thousands of commuters – expanding Metro and deploying innovations to make transit work even better. For… Read More

U.S. Department of Defense presents awards to King County and DAJD 

The Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) presented King County, the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD), and several County managers with awards, Nov. 8, in recognition of their support of County employees who currently serve in the Reserve and National Guard. King County was nominated for the “Freedom” Award by Senior Master Sergeant Michelle Helpenstell, a corrections officer with DAJD, who also serves in the Air Force Reserve. The ceremony opened with the presentation of colors by King County’s Adult and Juvenile Detention Honor Guard followed by remarks by U.S. Army 1st Lt. Erik Campbell with… Read More