Featured Headlines
Clean energy projects bring $5.2 million in savings for WTD
Balanced You attends the Healthy Worksite Summit
Let the world class KCSO Motorcycle Unit take you for a spin
Meet the SCOPE Team, connecting services directly to your community
News
Kudos! Water Taxi receives rave from Seattle Times readers
This piece was featured at the top of the Seattle Times’ Rant and Raves list for October 20, 2018. Kudos to our efficient King County Water Taxi! “RAVE I’ve had many opportunities to interact with the King County Water Taxi crews this year, mostly going to and from Sounders and Mariners games. They are always efficient, polite, and have a great way of making sure everyone gets aboard before taking off — and yet are never late!”
King County tax transparency tool helps residents estimate the impact of proposed taxes on their property
Recently profiled in The Seattle Times, this new tool offered by the King County Department of Assessments allows for property owners and renters to see exactly how much in tax they would have to pay on their individual properties. The Tax Transparency Tool is useful because it is more personal and precise in its calculations. Assessor John Wilson explained this as an essential part of its design. “The intent here isn’t to take sides one way or another,” Wilson said. “You just want people to understand.” Read more in the original article at The Seattle Times.
Launch of Professional Development Scholarship Fund
In support of Executive Constantine’s commitment to Investing in YOU, King County and the Coalition of Unions are pleased to launch the Professional Development Scholarship Fund Program. Scholarship funds will be awarded to eligible employees for training that occurs in 2019. The intent of the scholarship is to support employees in achieving their career goals at King County or enhance their work related skills. The maximum total amount an eligible employee can receive for the year in training funds is $2,500. Applications are now being accepted for training that will begin anytime between January 1, 2019 – March 31, 2019…. Read More
Considering KingCare Select? Hear what your co-workers think
Crossposted from Balanced You Open Enrollment is just around the corner. Are you considering the newest health plan option, KingCare Select? Watch the video below to learn what a few King County employees think about this plan. Note: At this time, the KingCare Select medical plan is not available to Deputy Sheriffs, Sheriff Captains, and TEA-Transit employees.
Employees practice “Drop, cover and hold”
On Thursday, October 18 King County participated in the Great Washington Shake Out, an earthquake drill to help residents prepare for the next possible earthquake. This even included the Senior Leadership Team, who dropped, covered, and held on until the drill ended. Pictured here are Labor Relations Manager Bob Railton, Chief Operating Officer Casey Sixkiller, Director of Labor Relations Megan Pederson and Chief People Officer Whitney Abrams.
Q&A with our Elections translators: Signe Chan, Chinese
Crosposted from Election Connection We’re highlighting the great work our translators do helping make our elections and services accessible to every member of the community. Here we sit down for a brief Q&A with Signe Chan, our Chinese language translator. What is your background and what brought you to working in local government at King County? My family immigrated to the United States when I was a teenager. Often times I have to interpret for my parents and elderly friends who speak limited English. Helping people is one of my specialties; I started… Read More
The many ways to vote in King County
King County Elections makes it simple and convenient for voters throughout the county to make their voice heard. In addition to offering prepaid postage, Elections also provides accessible voting centers and an online ballot marking program for people who need assistance completing their ballot. The accessible voting centers are operated by trained staff and have special equipment available to help voters with disabilities cast a private, independent ballot. The equipment is a special machine called an Accessible Voting Unit (AVU). It has a touch screen and audio ballots to accommodate voters. These centers guarantee all King County voters… Read More
U.S. Department of Defense to present awards to King County and DAJD
The Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard (ESGR) will present King County and the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) with awards, Nov. 8, in recognition of their support of County employees who currently serve in the Reserve and National Guard. King County was nominated for the award by Senior Master Sergeant Michelle Helpenstell, a corrections officer with DAJD, who also serves in the Reserve. “When I learned of the Freedom Award I immediately knew I needed to recognize those who have been so supportive to KC military members,” said… Read More
Sisters Who Care about breast cancer awareness
True to their name, the Sisters Who Care really do care about their Juvenile Court colleagues and clients. This group of employees includes African American women who champion various causes and projects throughout the year. They are responsible for the annual Juneteenth celebration, and this month they feature Justice in Pink, a focus on Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Justice in Pink is the brainchild of Superior Court Renton Unit Supervisor JoeAnne Taylor and Renton Juvenile Probation Counselor Darlin Johnson who noticed many co-workers and family members were affected by cancer diagnoses. Justice in Pink is designed to educate Juvenile Court staff… Read More
Look for Open Enrollment information in your mailbox
Check your home mailbox for important benefits and Open Enrollment information mailed recently to the address you have listed in PeopleSoft. Open Enrollment takes place Nov. 1 – 15 and is your opportunity to: Enroll in the new short-term disability plan (Regular employees only)—Learn more at Life and Disability Insurance. To help you decide if this benefit is right for you, use the decision support tools, including videos, claims examples, rates, and coverage highlights. Change medical plans—Use the Plan Comparison Charts and other resources on the Medical plan page to consider whether Kaiser SmartCare or KingCare Select (Regence) makes… Read More
Supported Employment Program recognized at Governor’s Employer Award Program
King County’s Supported Employment Program was nominated for the Employment and Disability Issue Governor Awards for 2018 Public Sector Employer of the Year. The awards ceremony was held at the Microsoft Conference Center on Wednesday, October 17. The program was recognized by the Washington State Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues & Employment (GCDE) for the efforts of public employers (federal, state, local government) and their efforts to recruit, hire and advance the employment of individuals with disabilities. Although King County did not win the award, (hats off to the City of Bellevue) this was a great opportunity to not only… Read More
Employees participants needed for discussion about engagement data
The employee engagement team is looking for employees with ideas on how to improve the county’s response to what employees have said about their experience at King County. Contact Brooke Bascom at Brooke.Bascom@kingcounty.gov if you are interested in participating in a discussion that looks at: Are we responding to the engagement data in the most effective way? What works about action planning at the workgroup level? What doesn’t work about action planning at the workgroup level? What do we need to do that we’re not currently doing to improve engagement at King County? What should we keep… Read More
Training Spotlight: Communication skills in the workplace and Introduction to strategic planning
Communication Skills in the Workplace, Oct. 25: Communication skills are vital in today’s workplace. In this course you will identify the four primary communication styles, learn how to recognize your style as well as the styles of others, and how to overcome common communication roadblocks and barriers. Learn more and register Introduction to Strategic Planning, Nov 1: This training provides an overview of what strategic planning is, when and why to develop a strategic plan, and how it fits with other management systems and functions. The basic elements and processes used to develop a strategic… Read More
Q&A with our Elections translators: Juan Vazquez, Spanish
Crossposted from Election Connection We’re highlighting the great work our translators do helping make our elections and services accessible to every member of the community. Here we sit down for a brief Q&A with Juan Vazquez, our Spanish language translator. What brings you to working in local government at King County? I was born in Mexico, but immigrated to the United States when I was thirteen. I attended Seattle University for my Bachelor of Arts, then completed my Master of Arts at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA. Afterwards I… Read More
Employee Giving events Oct. 23 and 31
This year’s Annual Giving Drive is in full swing and there a plenty of events around the county that you can take part in to support, or discover, your favorite nonprofit, such as: Pancake Feed, Oct. 23, 7 – 9 a.m. Courthouse, 1st Floor, RM W-150: Join us to eat some delicious pancakes and help us support the S.H.E.R.I.F.F. Fund! Benefits the S.H.E.R.I.F.F. Fund 9008. Festival of Frights Halloween Carnival, Oct. 31, noon – 1:30 p.m., Lean Lab, third floor of Admin Building: The Executive Office presents the first Festival of Frights Halloween carnival, a… Read More
Kudos! King County Community Court featured on King 5!
The King County Community Court, a collaboration between King County District Court, the City of Redmond and the King County Library System, was recently highlighted on KING 5 news. The article and video explained how this new court, set up at the Redmond Library, encourages non-violent offenders to seek help and rebound from their mistakes. “We’re holding people accountable, but at the same time, concurrently, allowing them to rehabilitate themselves in hopes that they will not come back into the system,” said Judge Lisa Paglisotti, who oversees the King County Community Court. View the full article and watch the video… Read More
Women in Leadership Lunch and Learn, Oct. 30
WILpower increases knowledge and skills about leadership through a series of nine monthly interactive workshops with expert speakers, as well as regular networking and discussion groups that reinforce the powerful messages heard in the workshops. Please consider attending a Lunch & Learn presentation by the Chair of the WILPower Leadership Team, Susan Seah October 30 from noon to 1pm in Chinook Conference Room 124. Women in Leadership (WILpower) trainings for 2019 will start January. View the calendar for 2019 WILpower workshops here.
Pet of the week: Pearl
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC We have a real gem for Pet of the Week: meet Pearl! This young pittie was brought to RASKC by a good Samaritan. When she first arrived, Pearl was very nervous. She has since come out of her shell to show her shining personality – which we call “Rambunctious Red. Read more
Featured Job: GIS Analyst
Salary: $77,320.88 – $98,008.77 Annually Location: Seattle, WA Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp (TLT) Department: King County Department of Information Technology Job Number: 2018-08504 Closing: 10/23/2018 11:59 PM Pacific *This opportunity is open to both internal and external applicants. It is being offered as both a TLT (Term Limited Temporary) OR a Special Duty assignment. (Only internal, Career Service employees are eligible for Special Duty assignments. It is important to note that you must get approval from your current supervisor/manager to accept a Special Duty assignment) Perform a full range of GIS development and application tasks, including web applications, spatial… Read More
Get to know 2018 Giving Drive nonprofits – Spotlight on organizations serving people with a disability
Each year King County employees help hundreds of nonprofit organizations do vital work in our community and around the world by donating through the Employee Giving Program, and this year’s Annual Giving Drive is now underway. As we recognize Disability Awareness Month this October, here are four participating nonprofits whose work helps people with disabilities in our community: The Arc of King County(9233) – Serving individuals and families with intellectual and developmental disabilities through case management, peer support, leadership training, and advocacy. Alpha Supported Living Service(9033) – Providing 24/7 support for people with developmental and… Read More
About
We tell stories that highlight the work we do to support our residents,
build strong communities, and make our region a great place to live and work.
Our 17,000+ employees work every day to make King County
a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
Share this:
King County, WA LinkedIn
Follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date with all King County professional news.
Employee News 