Congratulations to the Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards, which honor employees and workgroups at King County who bring a Best-Run Government approach to their work, and have made exceptional contributions in performance, leadership, and innovation. In a series of videos, several King County leaders, including King County Executive Dow Constantine, announced the recipients of the eight Performance Excellence Awards: five innovation awards – people, cost, service, sustainability, and equity and social justice – and three leadership awards – for people leaders, individual contributors, and the Fred Jarrett Leadership Excellence… Read More
Executive proclaims Public Service Recognition Week
In celebration of the work county employees perform every day to making a King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive, King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed May 7-13, 2023 as Public Service Recognition Week. “King County residents are served every single day by the people who serve our nation as federal, state, county, city, and Tribal government employees – unsung heroes who do the work that keep our County and our country working,” said the Executive. View the full proclamation here, and read the read the Executive’s employee message… Read More
Celebrating you and your work during Public Service Recognition Week
Dear fellow King County employee, This week we celebrate your work and the work of every public servant in King County during Public Service Recognition Week, May 7 – 13, 2023. Your work for the people of King County matters tremendously. Public service creates positive change in our communities, even when it’s behind-the-scenes. The work you do makes a difference in the lives of so many of our residents. Public service is as wide-ranging and varied as the places we’re from and the paths we’ve traveled. But we are all united by a desire to make… Read More
Voters approve Crisis Care Centers Levy—a generational investment to transform the behavioral health system in King County
King County Executive Dow Constantine applauds the approval of the Crisis Care Centers initiative, a nine-year levy that will create a regional network of five Crisis Care Centers, restore and increase mental health residential treatment beds, and invest in the people who do the difficult, important, and historically underpaid work of providing mental health and substance use disorder services. “King County voters agree – we must build a stronger behavioral health system to meet the urgent and growing need for care,” said Executive Constantine. “With this strong approval, we will chart a… Read More
May is Mental Health Month
A message from Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer May is Mental Health Month and as we have seen year over year, mental health continues to be a growing concern in our county and communities. More than half of American adults will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime. We are seeing a growing concern over children’s mental health as well. Many of us, including me, have been impacted by mental illness, either personally or with someone we are close to. The last thing I want is for… Read More
Budget cuts are unavoidable after state’s failure to fix broken county tax system
In recent days you may have seen news reports that the state legislature failed to take legislative action to address the state’s arbitrary and outdated one percent limit on property tax collections, which is the largest source of revenue for the County’s General Fund. For many years I, along with Councilmembers and other county leaders and employees, have advocated for a change to the one percent cap. Since its introduction in 2001, King County’s population has grown 30% and consumer prices have increased 70%. Inflation in recent years has been as high… Read More
Executive Constantine tours major Cedar River restoration project
King County Executive Dow Constantine toured a recently completed project that restored a nearly mile-long segment of the Cedar River to a more natural state, simultaneously improving salmon habitat and reducing flood risks for people, homes, and infrastructure. The Riverbend project restored 52 acres of floodplain east of Renton while creating side channels that provide slow-water, shallow habitat that is ideal for native salmon. It builds on the progress King County and partners made upstream with the successful Rainbow Bend restoration project that was completed in 2013. Read more here and watch the… Read More
Focus on values: We respect all people
King County Executive Dow Constantine recently relaunched the True North and Executive branch values with a monthly focus on each of the values to help us gain a deeper understanding of them and how we apply them to our work. This month, we are focusing on the value “We respect all people.” It doesn’t matter where we work at the County; it is imperative that we treat every person we work alongside and serve with respect. Respect is the foundation of everything we do, and we need to seek to understand all… Read More
Relaunching the True North and values that guide our work
Dear fellow King County employee, I am excited to announce that we are relaunching our Executive Branch values and our True North: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. Our True North captures the heart of our work and is a navigational point. Our values guide our work, our decision-making, and the way we show up for one another and our customers. They define the type of organization we are and strive to be, moving us closer to our True North and our goal of becoming the Best-Run Government:… Read More
“It took a village”
Sheriff Cole-Tindall recently completed a 19-week re-certification at the Washington State Police Academy. From Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall Attending the Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) was nothing less than a journey, and I want to thank everyone who supported me along the way. To our personnel at the range, the track, and Basic Training Unit: it was remarkable to see you in your element. You are true professionals, and your dedication to the essential work you do is inspiring. I also want to thank the command staff, Undersheriff Jesse Anderson, and Kim Johnson… Read More
Employee News 