Featured Headlines
Celebrating you and your work during Public Service Recognition Week
May is Mental Health Month
How the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency impacts your employee medical and pharmacy benefits
Reminder: WA Cares Fund payroll deductions begin in July
News
Hot weather is on the way
Hotter than normal weather is forecast for our region after a cooler start to spring. Here are some tips from Public Health – Seattle & King County to help you manage the heat: Get more tips and advice on Public Health – Seattle & King County’s hot weather webpage.
Executive proclaims Public Service Recognition Week
In celebration of the work county employees perform every day to making a King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive, King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed May 7-13, 2023 as Public Service Recognition Week. “King County residents are served every single day by the people who serve our nation as federal, state, county, city, and Tribal government employees – unsung heroes who do the work that keep our County and our country working,” said the Executive. View the full proclamation here, and read the read the Executive’s employee message… 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
New PeopleSoft for Managers and Supervisors Course in NEOGOV Learn
The PeopleSoft for Managers and Supervisors on-demand course is now available on NEOGOV Learn. This course introduces managers and supervisors to the Manager Self Service module in PeopleSoft. With your NEOGOV account, you can take this course anytime and anywhere. In this course, you will learn how King County managers and supervisors use Manager Self Service. This learning experience covers four main modules: Basic PeopleSoft navigation Commonly used Manager Self Service tiles The time approval process (complete with an interactive software simulation) Helpful tips and resources For managers, supervisors, or those aspiring… Read More
Free crisis hotline available
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress including thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, any other kind of emotional distress. Non-English Speakers can call 988 and simply say the name of your preferred language to be connected to an interpreter. People who are hearing impaired can use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988.
Mental health screening
May is Mental Health Month and it’s a good time to learn about some of the tools, programs, and resources available to support you or your loved ones. One of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition is to take a mental health screening. Go to Mental Health America for a free screening.
Grab the hiking boots, leave the car! Trailhead Direct returns May 13
King County’s Trailhead Direct, the weekends and holidays transit-to-trails service, will begin its fifth season on Saturday, May 13, and run through Labor Day, Monday, September 4. Metro and King County Parks, with the support of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Amazon, are working together to provide funding for the 2023 season. This summer, Trailhead Direct continues to focus the transit-to-trails service on the most popular route with stops at trailheads near Mount Si, Mount Teneriffe, and Little Si. Riders can take the bus, Sound Transit Link light rail, or bike… Read More
‘People need us out there’ Metro Ambassadors engage and inform
Crossposted from Metro Matters You might see “‘blue jackets” at transit centers, outside schools or on your way to a game at Lumen Field or T-Mobile Park. The people wearing the jackets are Metro Ambassadors and they are there to answer your questions, point you in the right direction and may even have some swag for you. “I see this as a way to get comfort back,” said ambassador Royce Williams. “To make people comfortable about riding the bus again.” Read more.
Recognizing DAJD staff during National Correctional Officers and Employees Week
Please join us in acknowledging National Correctional Officers and Employees Week from May 7 to 13. This is a special opportunity to honor the Corrections Officers, Juvenile Detention Officers, and staff in other varied positions at King County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD). These professionals are responsible for operating safe, secure, and humane detention facilities and community corrections programs. National Correctional Officers Week started in 1984. In 1996, Congress officially modified it to “National Correctional Officers and Employees Week.” DAJD’s employees often encounter people at the worst time in their… Read More
Metro retires @kcmetroalerts, but will keep @KingCountyMetro
Crossposted from Metro Matters King County Metro will continue to post on @KingCountyMetro, our general news Twitter account. But we will retire our automated, alerts-only Twitter account @kcmetroalerts after today. The information previously shared through @kcmetroalerts will still be available through other trip planning tools. Read more.
2023 Seattle Pride Parade
2023 Seattle Pride Parade planning is underway. If you are a King County employee and want to be kept up to date on all things Pride Parade, send an email to Leah.Holland@kingcounty.gov with PRIDE INFO 2023 in the subject line. This year, t-shirt sales will be done completely online and mailed directly to you. The Parade route runs from downtown Seattle to Seattle Center on Sunday, June 25. More info will be sent out soon. Happy PRIDE!
King County is fixing stuff for free
During Earth Week, a Solid Waste Division program that helps people fix household items for free was featured on KING 5’s Evening Magazine. The program aims to keep items out of the landfill and put them back in use. The repair events are held approximately every month. The program was also featured on the Spanish-language TV channel KUNS.
Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel disruptions: Service alternatives available during repairs
Crossposted from Metro Matters Damage to the ceiling of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) at Westlake Station is disrupting Sound Transit Link 1 Line service until further notice. Riders should prepare for additional travel times as trains are operating every 15-20 minutes in the DSTT. Surface street bus options are available by using King County Metro’s Trip Planner. Read more.
Have your say: King County asking for input on budget cuts
King County launched a community survey asking for public input on prioritizing services funded by the County’s General Fund to inform looming budget cuts. The 2025-2026 General Fund is facing a $100 million revenue shortfall due to the state’s arbitrary one percent limit on property tax collections, which has not been updated in 20 years and now coincides with increased costs and high rates of inflation exceeding 9%. To prevent deeper cuts in the next biennial budget and to provide time for affected programs to wind down, King County will be considering a budget… Read More
Local Services gets National Association of Government Communicators award for Participatory Budgeting
Crossposted from King County Local Local Services’ Participatory Budgeting program has received an international accolade for the way it helped spread the word to the community. The department won a National Association of Government Communicators’ Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award for the blog post/news releases that it produced for Participatory Budgeting. Read more.
Voters approve Crisis Care Centers Levy—a generational investment to transform the behavioral health system in King County
King County Executive Dow Constantine applauds the approval of the Crisis Care Centers initiative, a nine-year levy that will create a regional network of five Crisis Care Centers, restore and increase mental health residential treatment beds, and invest in the people who do the difficult, important, and historically underpaid work of providing mental health and substance use disorder services. “King County voters agree – we must build a stronger behavioral health system to meet the urgent and growing need for care,” said Executive Constantine. “With this strong approval, we will chart a… Read More
May is Mental Health Month
A message from Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer May is Mental Health Month and as we have seen year over year, mental health continues to be a growing concern in our county and communities. More than half of American adults will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime. We are seeing a growing concern over children’s mental health as well. Many of us, including me, have been impacted by mental illness, either personally or with someone we are close to. The last thing I want is for… Read More
How the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency impacts your employee medical and pharmacy benefits
During the COVID-19 National Emergency and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, some benefit coverages expanded temporarily to make it easier for employees to receive care. These emergencies officially end on May 11, 2023, and many of the expanded benefits will return to normal coverage levels and regular deductibles, copays, and coinsurance will apply. Items that will no longer be covered Over-the-counter COVID-19 tests will no longer be covered and will be an out-of-pocket expense. Medical benefits that are going back to “normal” COVID-19 PCR lab tests will be covered when ordered by an… Read More
May is Bike Everywhere Month
Yes, everywhere and anywhere. To work, grocery shopping, getting kids to school, your pickleball court, places you’ve been meaning to go. Get even farther when you use a bike to get to your bus, train or boat. Form a team, join a team on LovetoRide Challenge or cajole your coworkers, neighbors, family members, friends – or yourself. It’s not all hard-core. Earn points for being a new participant, most rides, miles, different kinds of trips, encouraging others, or rides with kids. King County’s teams have been among the most active in the past. If… Read More
Join the King County Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay team
Following the success with a King County team in the annual Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay from Blaine to Langley, the team wants to gauge interest in adding a second King County team of runners this year. The race is July 14-15; a team is 12 runners in two vans, each taking on three legs. There is still time to register another team by the May 11 deadline, so reach out if you’re interested by emailing Seth Watson.
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