Featured Headlines
Holiday travel? Metro will help you get there
Emergency exercise tests communications ahead of World Cup
King County Wins 2025 Geospatial Professional Network Award for Innovative AI-GIS System
Recognizing the service of Metro veterans
News
I-976 impacts to Seattle and King County: if no replacement funds, major cuts to Metro service
King County Executive Dow Constantine outlined possible consequences of I-976, the $30 car-tab initiative that failed in King County but passed statewide in the Nov. 5 election. King County does not collect vehicle license fees or motor vehicle excises taxes, which would be repealed under I-976. However, the state of Washington, Sound Transit and 13 King County cities including Seattle use these sources to fund mobility projects, impacting Metro operations. Read more.
Raise the Sounders FC flag Friday at noon
The Seattle Sounders are on the verge of winning their second MLS Cup, and we want to cheer them on as they get ready to take on Toronto FC this Sunday. Join your fellow employees and fans at noon on Friday, Nov. 8, as we rally on the Administration Building Plaza (Fourth Avenue side) and raise the Sounders flag to celebrate our hometown club and Major League Soccer’s best fans. If you are on break or at lunch Friday at noon, or not working during this time, put on your Sounders gear and help… Read More
Discounts for Summit at Snoqualmie and UW Local Government Appreciation basketball games
Employees are reminded that beginning Nov. 7, prices will increase slightly for the Summit at Snoqualmie Corporate Season Pass. This includes Unlimited pass (covering adult, young adult, teen, youth, child, senior, and super senior) and Limited (covering adult, young adult, teen, youth, and senior) season passes. To purchase, follow these online instructions, sales will end Jan. 8, 2020. For more information about rates and discounts for the Summit at Snoqualmie 2019-2020 season, email summitstore@summiti90.com. King County employees are also welcome to take advantage of discounted tickets to two UW Husky basketball games. These games are part of… Read More
2019 Annual Giving Drive: Spotlight on nonprofits providing services and support for veterans
King County’s Annual Giving Drive Program is underway through Friday, Nov. 22, and almost 1,200 nonprofits are taking part this year. Throughout this year’s drive, we’ll be featuring four nonprofits in different categories. This week, we’re highlighting nonprofits that provide services and support for Veterans and their families in honor of Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Heartbeat Serving Wounded Warriors (9525) PO Box 610, Onalaska, WA 98570 – The mission of the foundation is to provide emergency assistance, morale building programs, and innovative therapeutic services for wounded warriors and their families. OARS For Women… Read More
Have your say on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5
Dear Colleagues, It’s election time! You should have received your ballot for the November 5, 2019 General Election. If you haven’t, make sure to get a replacement ballot online or call 206-296-VOTE. I know the ballot this year is a little overwhelming. The entire front page is state ballot measures and advisory votes (don’t get me going on those advisory votes, ugh). All candidate races and local ballot measures are on the back – so make sure to flip that giant ballot over and vote the back as well! The good news… Read More
Discount for 2019 WildLights at Woodland Park Zoo and Sesame Street Live!
King County employees can now receive 10% off full-price tickets for WildLights, from Nov. 29 through Jan. 5, and see wild animals and wild places recreated in over 800,000 sparkling energy-efficient LED lights. Adult tickets are $15.26 (regularly $16.95), children tickets are $11.66 (regularly $12.95), and toddlers are free. Buy tickets at this link. Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic is at the acesso Showare Center in Kent, WA, Dec. 11-12, 2019. Tickets can be purchased by calling 866-248-8740, option 1. For questions call the number or email FeldDirectGroups@feldinc.com. Savings will be applied at time of purchase. Order… Read More
Tech Tip: Microsoft to shut off “ToDo” application
In preparation for a change that Microsoft is making to King County’s Office 365 setup, the “ToDo” application will no longer be supported or available for use. Access to this application is scheduled to be turned off on Nov. 6. If you use ToDo, you can recreate your ToDo tasks in Outlook as Outlook Tasks prior to Nov. 6. For help, please contact the Helpdesk by submitting a HelpDesk ticket or calling 206-263-HELP.
That’s a wrap on 2019 flu shots
Crossposted from Balanced You Every fall, King County’s Balanced You program provides worksite flu shot clinics for employees. In response to employee feedback, we expanded this year’s program by adding late afternoon clinic times, four new worksites, and more staff to better reach employees. Over the course of six weeks, we traveled to Woodinville, Auburn, Maple Valley and several worksites in between, serving more than 3,800 employees. Thank you! Our team works throughout the year to plan these clinics with several benefit partners, our flu shot vendor and employees that volunteer their time to coordinate… Read More
At DPD, a new unit helps people reclaim their lives
Crossposted from For the Defense For years, Detric Johnson felt as though there was nothing he could do to erase the mistakes of his past. He faced more than $10,000 in legal financial obligations (LFOs), a crippling burden. He had felonies on his record, most of them 25 years old. Without a driver’s license, he couldn’t land a job. “My life was in a shambles,” he said. All that changed over the course of a few months, when an old DUI and another driving charge caught up with him and he was assigned a… Read More
Trailhead Direct ridership increased 75 percent in its second full season
Ridership on Trailhead Direct – a transit-to-trails service co-led by King County Metro and King County Parks – increased 75 percent during the second year of a two-year pilot project. The improved service design made it possible for hikers to board any of the four routes and get to any trail in the Trailhead Direct network. Passengers boarded Trailhead Direct for more than 17,500 hikes in the second season of the two-year pilot project co-led by King County Metro and King County Parks, a 75 percent increase from last year. The transit-to-trails service added… Read More
National conference selects King County as site of annual conference, spotlights Zero Youth Detention
Crossposted from Zero Youth Detention Each year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation hosts a national conference for the over 300 jurisdictions in 40 states that have signed on to implement its Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). This year, the conference was hosted in King County, from October 16-18, in part to showcase the work of King County’s Zero Youth Detention and essential community partnerships. “I started volunteering. I found community, and they saw gifts in me I didn’t know I had,” said Durell Green, describing to conference attendees the transition that took him from time in… Read More
Food drive underway
The 2019 Northwest Harvest Food Drive has begun and runs through Nov. 22. Collection boxes are being distributed to King County buildings. Feel free to get creative and hold competitions to encourage donations! If a box gets full and you would like a replacement, please contact Angela Strong of the Facilities Management Division of the Department of Executive Services. Last year the generous employees of King County gathered 3,702 pounds of food. Click here for more information about Northwest Harvest and their mission.
Join the Executive Department at the Harvest Festival, Nov. 8
The Executive Department Senior Leadership Team is excited to invite you to the Employee Giving Program Harvest Festival. This seasonal event will feature treats, a photo booth, nonprofits, and pets available for adoption. There will be a drawing for prizes such as a $100 gift certificate to Ethan Stowell restaurants, a fall-themed gift basket, and lunch with the Executive. Are you eager to try the new Cosmic Crisp apple? Come to the Festival, and you’ll have the opportunity to try these not-yet-released Washington apples. Suggested donation of $10 at the door, but giving… Read More
Open Enrollment starts today, ends Nov. 15
Take a fresh look at your benefits Make the most of your robust King County employee benefits package by making informed decisions for next year during Open Enrollment, Nov. 1 – 15. Follow these steps to ensure you are selecting the right benefit options for you and your family: Review your benefit choices See what’s changing next year. Evaluate your medical plan options using the Plan Comparison Charts and other resources on the Medical plans page. Consider whether one of the lower-cost plans, Kaiser SmartCare or KingCare Select (Regular and Transit ATU employees… Read More
Featured Job: Assistant Archivist
Salary: $22.41 – $28.40 Hourly Location: WA 98122, WA Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Department: DES – Executive Services Job Number: 2019AB10800 Closing: 11/6/2019 11:59 PM Pacific Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
Pet of the Week: Sadie
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC Need a warm snuggle buddy for the coming chilly winter nights? Check out Sadie, our Pet of the Week! This genteel older lady loves to stop and smell the roses! Sadie has a lot of pep in her step and loves going for long walks… sniffing here, there, and everywhere! Afterwards, Sadie just wants to hang out and cuddle, and she thoroughly enjoys neck scratches. Read more at Tails from RASKC
Tech Tip: A change in county email quarantining
Microsoft has changed the daily quarantine notification message to make it easier for email users to review possibly suspicious emails quarantined over the last 24 hours. This adds an extra layer of protection by allowing King County employees to preview messages online without releasing them to their inbox. Got a message that doesn’t need to be quarantined? Simply click on the “Review” button in the email to view the message and be routed to the quarantine portal. This section will explain why the message was quarantined and other information about it. After… Read More
Rev Up For Retirement seminar on Nov. 13
Are you too young to think about retirement? Think again! With increasing concern over the future of Social Security and the stability of retirement plans, it’s a good idea to stay informed and to prepare in advance. Please join the King County Retirement team for a three-hour seminar featuring guest speakers from Social Security and Jean Cormier, an expert in Medicare choices and options. Employee resources available through King County will also be shared. Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., King Street Center, 8th Floor Conference Room, 201 S…. Read More
DNRP Division Day in the Enchanted Habitat, Nov. 1
Employees are welcome to join the Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) for their annual Division Day expo on Friday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 pm. in the 8th Floor Conference Room at King Street Center. Come and see what your DNRP colleagues are doing to protect and enhance King County’s environment and advance our “We are responsible stewards” value. Visit displays and check out the innovative and progressive work the department is doing to preserve and enhance the ecological health of King County – and the health and well-being of our residents. This fun… Read More
Five questions with John Miller, Organizational Development Practitioner, Department of Human Resources
Why did you start in your role with King County? My King County journey started more than 21 years ago in central finance, shifted to permitting, then to Lead Analyst on the Business Resource Center – Business Intelligence (BI) Team. Most recently, I joined (on Special Duty) the Department of Human Resources – Career and Culture Division’s Organizational Development Team. Throughout my career I have been steadfast in maturing as an Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Practitioner. I started here in King County because of my passion to serve. As an old… Read More
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