Developmental Disabilities and Behavioral Health Legislative Forums
We have two upcoming legislative forums to identify legislative priorities for the coming year. Developmental Disabilities Legislative Forum – The King County Board for Developmental Disabilities’ 27th annual Legislative Forum will take place on Monday, Nov. 21 at the DoubleTree Suites in Tukwila. This event is hosted by the King County Parent Coalition, a program of The Arc of King County. The King County Board for Developmental Disabilities will present the 2017 legislative agenda, focusing on issues important to the developmental disabilities system. Monday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Suites, 16500… Read More
A summer intern tells all
Crossposted from Lean in King County This summer, after completing the first year of my MPA program at UW’s Evans School, I joined King County’s Performance, Strategy, and Budget Office (PSB) as a Line of Business (LoB) Intern. I wanted to learn about the county, get more connected to the region, and apply my Evans coursework in a meaningful way. I’ve learned a great deal about my own strengths in graphic design and communication, about King County’s Lean management system, and about the way King County agencies collaborate and operate. I had… Read More
Third annual free health clinic in Seattle/King County a success
KOMO news reported on how more than 900 individuals received free medical care at the clinic, which was held at KeyArena Thursday, October 27 through Sunday, October 30. The clinic relied on over 1,000 volunteers to provide free dental, vision and medical care for almost 4,000 people. Read more about this successful event in the article Massive effort to provide free health care gets underway at KeyArena, including a quote from King County Executive Dow Constantine. Image courtesy of KOMO news
The Annual Employee Giving Drive: Outdoors Nonprofits
The County’s 2016 Annual Employee Giving Drive is now past the halfway point, and this year’s goal is to raise $1.82 million. King County employees have donated $561,762.41 so far, bringing the drive to 31% of our goal! This week, we’re featuring four nonprofits serving King County’s great outdoors, and each is eligible to receive donations through the Employee Giving Program! Seattle Parks Foundation (2739) 105 S Main St, Ste 235 Seattle, WA 98104 – Seattle Parks Foundation works with volunteers, donors and community leaders to build and sustain a thriving, accessible,… Read More
From the Hip: Julie Wise, Director of Elections
Why you shouldn’t only vote this November I know for many of you it feels like this election has been going on forever, but here at King County Elections we’ve actually been preparing for years. For this election we will – Process about 100,000 additional voter registrations Send out nearly 1.3 million ballots to King County voters Field more than 27,000 phone calls from voters Count more than a million ballots At our headquarters in Renton we’ll have countless tour groups, party observers and media visitors. On Election Day, we’ll have more… Read More
Celebrating 105 years of combined service- and no regrets
Al Viray, Al Williamson, and Bryon Fauchald recently received a 35-year service award, as well as lunch with acting Wastewater Treatment Division Director Gunars Sreibers and Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director Christie True, to celebrate each employee and his incredible commitment to wastewater services for our region. Thank you to all three for their dedication to King County! On December 1, 1981 three men, Al Viray, Al Williamson, and Bryon Fauchald, reported for their first day of work at the West Point Treatment plant in Discovery Park. At that time,… Read More
Reminder: 2017 Benefits Open Enrollment November 1-15
Open Enrollment for your 2017 King County benefits began Tuesday, November 1. This is your opportunity to evaluate your benefit choices and select the right options for you and your family for next year. Learn about your 2017 benefits Our comprehensive benefits package takes good care of the people who take care of King County—by promoting your continued health, financial security, and peace of mind. Use the following resources to learn about your benefits—and what’s changing for next year: Open Enrollment mailer sent to your home King County Open Enrollment website Recorded phone… Read More
King County employees reduce project lead times by two years through Lean
Crossposted from Lean in King County In September, King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) celebrated the hard work of hundreds of employees who have been streamlining how WTD operates the regional system and how it builds new facilities needed for our growing population. Employees explained to coworkers how they used Lean techniques to improve efficiency, standardize processes, and save time – thereby saving ratepayers money – during a four-hour open house. WTD has a long history of continuously improving our business using employee ideas. Over 1.5 million people in the region depend… Read More
Executive Constantine names new GM for Metro, the nation’s 10th largest transit service
In naming interim Metro General Manager Rob Gannon to the permanent position, King County Executive Dow Constantine selected a leader with experience at Metro as well as Amazon.com and the University of Montana. Gannon, 47, served as Interim General Manager from March 2016 until now. He was Metro Deputy General Manager from 2013-2016, and Human Resources Manager for the King County Department of Transportation from 2011-2013. He previously oversaw budget and labor relations at the University of Montana. “As our region grows and becomes ever more reliant on fast, efficient transit, Rob… Read More
Univision honors Metro’s Penny Lara during Latinx Heritage Month
Crossposted from Metro Matters The people of King County are fortunate to have Penny Lara. A longtime advocate for equity, Lara is a transportation planner at King County Metro focused on improving access to transportation for communities with special needs. Lara came from the Department of Public Health, Seattle-King County, where she played a key role in implementing ORCA LIFT –the reduced fare card for low-income riders — and building upon her experience leading efforts to enroll King County’s Latinx community in health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Read more at… Read More
Employee News 