King County Executive seeks moratorium on Atlantic salmon net pens
Citing the threat to native salmon populations, King County Executive Dow Constantine has called for a six-month moratorium on allowing any new Atlantic fish farming facilities along marine shoreline in unincorporated King County. “The hundreds of thousands of farmed, invasive Atlantic salmon that spilled into the Salish Sea in August threaten our native fish populations and our way of life,” said Executive Constantine. “Atlantic salmon don’t belong here. Beyond a six month moratorium, we need to ensure these operations can never again pose a threat to indigenous salmon already struggling to survive.”… Read More
What we heard in our 2017 Employee Survey
Dear fellow King County employee, What kind of workplace do you want King County to be? How we can serve our customers better? How can you be your best at work? Almost 8,350 of you told us about your experiences at King County in our 2017 Employee Survey, and I thank you for taking the time to have your say. We have now received the results, which show a lot of improvements, as well as some areas where we need to do more work. Please take a moment to watch this short… Read More
Executive Constantine directs Public Health to oversee King County juvenile detention reorganization
As part of King County’s commitment to reduce traumatization of youth in detention, eliminate racial disparities in the juvenile justice system and advance the goal of zero youth detention, Executive Constantine directed a multi-departmental team under the oversight and direction of Public Health – Seattle & King County to draft a proposal reorganizing juvenile detention services. In addition, Executive Constantine announced that King County will contract with a third-party validator, New York-based Vera Institute of Justice, to review its juvenile detention policies and practices, and recommend potential reforms. “By adopting a public… Read More
King County partners with Ballmer Group to expand access to outpatient mental health and addiction treatment
As many as 22,000 low-income people in King County will be eligible for same-day outpatient treatment for mental health and addiction services under an innovative new program announced today by King County, Ballmer Group and Third Sector Capital Partners, a San Francisco-based nonprofit advisory firm that collaborates with communities on how to contract for social services. The “Pay for Success” model will allocate $1.4 million a year in incentive payments to mental health and substance use treatment agencies that provide outpatient treatment on demand for people in need. “We are combining County… Read More
Honoring our military veterans
Dear fellow King County employee, Every year, our nation comes together to salute the men and women who answered the call of duty to serve in our nation’s armed forces. To protect and preserve our freedoms, they placed their lives in harm’s way, often thousands of miles from home and family. Among the more than 112,550 veterans who call King County home are 1,054 men and women with whom we work every day – fellow employees in every branch and every department in King County. Over the past year, 92 of those… Read More
King County Executive, Governor celebrate Colman Dock project and our future home
Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog As crews continue to build King County Water Taxi’s future home, Executive Dow Constantine, Gov. Jay Inslee and other transportation leaders took time last week to celebrate the progress of the Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock Project. The Executive was one of the keynote speakers at a celebration inside Colman Dock, the state’s busiest terminal, which overlooks the site of the Water Taxi’s future Passenger Only Ferry (POF) facility. Executive Constantine – who has long made improving mobility throughout the region one of his priorities –… Read More
Historic labor agreement delivers on our employee-focused priorities
King County and the Coalition of Unions have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year Master Labor Agreement (MLA) that will, once ratified, help the County advance towards its goal to be a workplace where every employee has the tools, knowledge and support to innovate, achieve their career goals and deliver equitable, high quality service to our customers. “The MLA delivers on many of the objectives of my Investing in You, Best Run Government and Equity and Social Justice priorities,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in announcing the tentative MLA. “It standardizes many work processes, large and small;… Read More
Employee survey extended until Friday, Oct. 13
Dear fellow King County employee, To make sure we are hearing from as many employees as possible, the 2017 Employee Survey has been extended by one week and will now close this Friday, October 13. This year’s survey period was one week shorter than last year’s, and while our daily response rates are higher than in 2016, we have not heard from as many total employees as we did last year. Employees in all branches and departments of King County, except the Superior Court, District Court and the Sheriff’s Office, and employees who… Read More
Celebrating Disability Awareness Month
This October King County is celebrating Disability Awareness Month and taking the opportunity to recognize the many contributions of people with disabilities to our workforce and our communities. King County provides many programs and services – such as easier access to public transit, greater access to parks, facilities and trails, housing assistance and improvement programs, and Accessible Voting Centers – to help people with disabilities bring their unique contributions to our communities and live fulfilling and rewarding lives. King County Executive Dow Constantine and the Metropolitan King County Council proclaimed the month of October as Disability… Read More
Exec meets with employees to learn how to boost women in trades
King County Executive Dow Constantine recently hosted an Employee Listening Session on the topic “Women in Trades” to hear from the people in the best position to advise on how we can bring more women into the skilled trades at King County – women working in the trades at King County. “As women who work in the trades here at King County, I want to get your thoughts on how we can bring more women into skilled trades jobs at the County,” Executive Constantine said to the attendees. “What are the barriers you… Read More
Employee News 