Honoring our veterans and ending veteran homelessness
Dear fellow King County employee, Each year, we pause as a grateful nation on November 11 to salute the men and women who answered the call to serve in our nation’s armed forces. Of the 122,000 veterans of all ages who call King County home, I am proud to say that 931 of them are our fellow King County employees, including 27 who were called to active duty over the past year. Along with our respect and appreciation, we best honor their service through our actions. Through our King County Veterans Program… Read More
It’s Official! Happy Volunteer Appreciation Day
Post by @iheartkcparks. Source: It’s Official! Happy Volunteer Appreciation Day
Employees earned the public trust needed to pass Best Starts for Kids
Dear fellow King County employee, Based on the latest vote count, it appears that voters have approved the Best Starts for Kids levy! We now have the opportunity to help put more children and youth in King County on a path toward lifelong success. It’s a victory you helped make possible. Voters approve initiatives only if they believe we are effective stewards of taxpayer dollars. This vote is a reflection of the public trust we’ve earned, and it demonstrates that they appreciate the positive difference we make in people’s lives – and… Read More
Goodbye mainframe, hello data
On Monday, November 2, King County IT shut down and turned off the aging King County mainframe (think extra-large refrigerator-sized, pre-PC computer), an important step in Executive Constantine’s goal of making King County a best-run government. This was truly a historic occasion, and marked the final ‘go-live’ stage of a multi-year Mainframe Rehosting Project. To give some context, a mainframe is not a machine built for everyday workload; it is designed to run big, complex jobs. King County’s mainframe was being used for large-volume critical business applications such as property tax payments… Read More
Open Enrollment is on Nov. 1 – 15
Open Enrollment for your 2016 King County benefits takes place Nov. 1 – 15. 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 2016 benefits Your benefits package was designed with your continued health, financial security, and well-being in mind. Use the following resources to learn about your 2016 benefits—and what’s changing for next year: Open Enrollment mailer sent to your home King County Open Enrollment web page Recorded phone messages about important benefit topics: 1-800-347-8046
Celebrating 10 years of helping youth with disabilities find jobs
With more than 1,100 students served over 10 years, King County’s School-to-Work program has plenty of reasons to celebrate. On October 12, 2015, as part of National Disability Employment Awareness month, the Department of Community and Human Services Developmental Disabilities Division celebrated 10 successful years of the program and 1,136 students served by hosting a gathering of partners and stakeholders at the Southcenter Double Tree. “The School-to-Work Program helps youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout King County seek and gain employment prior to exiting their high school transition programs,” Richard Wilson,… Read More
Breaking down job barriers for people with disabilities
October is Disability Awareness Month and King County is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and 25 years of hiring people with developmental disabilities into the work place. In 1990, the King County Council created the Supported Employment Program in response to the issue of employment inequity for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Supported Employment Program matches job seekers with developmental disabilities to jobs by identifying efficiencies and unmet needs throughout King County government. One of those employees is Brooke, a mail clerk with King… Read More
Five Questions with Emmanuel Rivera, Health & Environmental Investigator III, Natural Resources & Parks
1. What was your first role at King County? My first role at King County involved working within the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program (LHWMP) as a Health and Environmental Investigator. As part of the Survey Team, I did business cold calls throughout King County regarding proper use, storage and disposal of hazardous products and waste. 2. What do you do as a Health and Environmental Investigator? As an HE&I III, I am currently the outreach coordinator for LHWMP’s Indoor Chemical Hazards project. My primary function is to provide outreach to underserved… Read More
Get to know four participants in 2015 Annual Giving Drive
Whether your passion is protecting animals, improving literacy, preventing hunger, helping seniors or young people, or supporting the arts, there are more than 930 participating nonprofit organizations that you can choose to contribute to in the 2015 Annual Giving Drive, which kicked off October 5. Click here to make a pledge. Meet four of this year’s participating nonprofits below (see full list of participating nonprofits here): Cowgirl Spirit Equine Rescue (9406) shelters, rehabilitates, and rehomes unwanted and slaughter-bound horses. Located in Carnation, Washington, its horses are cared for by an all-volunteer staff and supported… Read More
How Metro Transit helped employees make leap from driver to chief
Helping employees grow in their King County careers is a key objective of the Best-Run Government: Employees initiative and Metro Transit recently piloted an intensive program to help employees make the leap from bus operator to base chief. Transit’s Human Resources group built a process that recognized the skills of existing employees and helped them highlight their skills in the recruitment process. “We were understanding that we had a very well-qualified, diverse, talented pool of employees,” said Susan Eddy, Human Resources Service Deliver Manager with Metro Transit. “However when you took a… Read More
Employee News 