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
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
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seen news reports that the state legislature failed to take legislative action to address the state’s arbitrary and outdated one percent limit on property tax collections, which is the largest source of revenue for the County’s General Fund.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
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
Relaunching the True North and values that guide our work
King County Executive Dow Constantine has announced the relaunch of the Executive Branch values and 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,” Executive Constatine said, “Our values guide our work, our decision-making, the way we show up for one another and our customers.” These values define the type of organization King County is and strives to be: Executive Constantine launched the True North and values in 2019 with a monthly learning focus… Read More
Local Services program welcomes Jacques Imperial
From the Department of Local Services blog Local Services’ goal of empowering residents to determine how money is spent in their neighborhoods just got a valuable addition. Jacques Imperial recenlty joined Local Services as the Participatory Budgeting program’s new Administrator. In her new position, Jacques will help Program Manager Gloria Briggs, who is currently seeking applicants to serve on the program’s Steering Committee for 2023-24. “My passion for public service stems from helping those whose voices are often unheard and ensuring that when communities seek government assistance, they get the best customer service possible,” Jacques… Read More
Celebrating Black Women at Metro
Cross-posted from Metro Matters Metro understands that to become anti-racist and pro-equity, our celebration of Black History Month must be centered on the experiences of those who continue to push us to model and champion our values. This year, Metro is celebrating Black women at Metro and the difference they make in operations by sharing their stories of hope, perseverance, and resilience. Read more.
King County and City of Seattle announce updates to employee vaccine mandate
In alignment with updated Public Health – Seattle and King County guidance, Executive Dow Constantine and Mayor Bruce Harrell announced today that King County and the City of Seattle will no longer require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment effective today. Throughout the pandemic, King County and the City of Seattle have used the most up-to-date recommendations and expertise from Public Health officials to inform policy decisions to adapt to the conditions and threats from the virus. To keep employees and the community safe and healthy, in mid-2021… Read More
Moving Forward Together: The Importance of Indigenous Voices in Shaping Institutional Transformation
This edition marks the final video in a four-part series, closing out the community conversation that was jointly produced with Native American Leadership Council (NALC) and the Office of Equity and Social Justice in partnership with community members. In video 1, NALC members shared stories of how community advocacy can lead to policy and systems change within institutions. Indigenous Peoples Day as a paid holiday within King County being one example of that. In video 2, Urban Native Education Alliance emphasized the importance and benefit of funding Native centered programming and curriculum… Read More
Employee News 