Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
Whether you wait until spring to get your spring cleaning done or chip away at it throughout the year, be mindful of items that have a second or third life before labeling them as waste. The Solid Waste Division (SWD) LinkUp program works to expand markets for selected recyclable and reusable materials. Through this program, collaboration with businesses, public agencies and non-profits is helping extend the life of the King County landfill. “Our projects are designed to reduce barriers preventing materials being reused or retained in the economy as a resource through recycling,” said… Read More
Have a say in the new name King County is changing Healthy Incentives based on what we heard from employees. A new, voluntary Employee Health & Well-Being initiative will start later in 2018. What will the upcoming changes mean for your out-of-pocket medical expenses for 2018 health benefits? Thanks to the collaborative effort between labor partners and King County, King County employees* will have Gold level benefits in 2019. In 2018, you and your covered spouse or state-registered domestic partner will not need to take a Wellness Assessment or complete an Individual… Read More
By Ralph Johnson, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer Your Social Security number is an important key for an identity thief. Scammers want it, and they think of all sorts of ways to trick you into giving it away. The Federal Trade Commission receives reports about calls from scammers claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. They say there’s been a computer problem, and they need to confirm your Social Security number. Other people have told the FTC that they have come across spoof websites that look like the place where you… Read More
Shared from the DCHS Touching Base Newsletter What do you do in the Department of Community and Human Services? I am a program supervisor for a new program within Education and Employment Resources (EER) called Career LaunchPad (CLP). CLP was funded by the Ballmer Foundation in March of 2017 to support more Opportunity Youth in our county to secure employment. Opportunity Youth are 16 to 24-year-olds who are disengaged from school and employment. When I took this position there were no systems in place to run a program like this, so my team and I have… Read More
Message from Julie Wise, Director of King County Elections Last week we mailed ballots for the February 13 Special Election to around 750,000 King County voters. If you live outside the City of Seattle, there’s a good chance you have something to weigh-in on! Eighteen jurisdictions are asking voters to make choices on a total of 34 ballot measures. These are important decisions about our community and I hope you will take the time to vote and return your ballot. To learn more about what’s on your specific ballot, see your voting history… Read More
A recent Bloomberg News Article, Kids Need Miranda Rights They Can Understand, highlights the work King County’s Department of Defense (DPD) has done on having developmentally appropriate Miranda warnings for juveniles. The article states “In effect, in most cases the criminal justice system approaches juvenile suspects with confusing language to advise them of their rights, then proceeds to interrogate them without the benefit of counsel. It’s a recipe for injustice.” Thank you to Katherine Hurley, DPD Attorney, and Anita Khandelwal, DPD Policy Director, for their outstanding work on this important project.
Crossposted from the Centerline By Chief Nathan Elledge, Airport Rescue & Firefighting For more than a year, I’ve had the privilege to serve as your Chief of Airport Police and Fire here at King County International Airport/Boeing Field. During my tenure, I’ve noticed that there seems to be some confusion as to who has jurisdictional responsibility when it comes to police and fire response at the airport. Given that, I’d like to provide you with an overview of who we are and what we do. The King County Airport Police and Fire Department,… Read More
It’s been a decade since King County switched to an illustration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as our logo. We take pride in having Dr. King represent our county, the only jurisdiction in the world named for the civil rights icon. While Dr. King’s image can be found all over King County, there are still a few places where the old crown logo appears. That’s where you come in! We’re looking to “Crush the Crown” in 2018 – and we need your help to do it. If you see an old… Read More
Closing Date/Time: Wed. 02/14/18 11:59 PM Pacific Time Salary: $21.23 – $28.25 Hourly Job Type: Various – See Supplemental Information Statement Location: Various Locations Throughout King County, Washington Department: Department of Public Health–Community Health Services Description: Public Health – Seattle & King County is seeking Patient Services Representatives to become part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary, and diverse team in our Float Pool. The Patient Services Representative is generally the first point of contact for patients, both in person and over the phone; s/he must consistently maintain excellent customer service standards. Our clients are culturally, socially,… Read More
The King County Youth Justice blog updates you on work the County and its partners are taking on to reduce youth interaction with the juvenile justice system – especially for youth of color who are disproportionately represented in it. Each post highlights the County’s continuous efforts to improve its support of lasting, positive youth development. Follow the KC Youth Justice blog today. Click here to view all King County social media pages.
Crossposted from Healthy Incentives King County is overhauling the Healthy Incentives program based on what we heard from employees. In 2017, you provided valuable input that will help us shape the new program to support your diverse interests and wellness goals in a more meaningful way. We’ve previously shared an overview of what we heard from you and now we’re sharing more detailed information including how we’re working to ensure the new approach is more responsive to all employees. Read more at Healthy Incentives
Your 2017 W-2 form is now available in PeopleSoft to view and print. A paper copy of your W-2 form was mailed this week by ADP to the address you have listed in PeopleSoft. To view or print your W-2, log in to PeopleSoft, choose “My Payroll” and then “View W-2/W-2c Forms.” If you need help with PeopleSoft, read PeopleSoft Sign-on Instructions or contact the Help Desk at 206-263-3430. Your Form 1095-C—Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage—will also be sent to your home address by ADP. This form will arrive by March 2 and shows… Read More
The OneTable campaign, announced last month, held it’s first workgroup meeting Monday to discuss ways to solve the regional homeless problem. The group comes from various backgrounds, including housing, behavior health and the criminal justice system, with leaders suggesting multiple ways to resolve the issue. “That is going be one of the main outcomes of this conversation,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “What we need to do and what we’re willing to do to get to that prevention side of the equation.” Monday’s meeting was highlighted in several news outlets. Here is a King 5 article entitled “King County… Read More
With the sponsorship of the Administrative Professionals Advisory Committee and the support of Career Support Services, administrative professionals are invited to take part in an important project that will benefit administrative professionals and employees across the county. Members are needed to take part in a work group that will identify and navigate the network of King County meeting and conference room spaces. There are three vacancies in this work group, with the commitment being 1-2 hours per month, including meeting time and follow-up work. Employees are needed from across the county, and specifically from departments that include, but are not limited to: DNRP, DOT, DJA, Assessments,… Read More
On Saturday, January 13, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency sent a false Wireless Emergency Alert by mistake, causing widespread panic among island residents, and bringing into question safeguards for issuing public emergency notifications. Early reports suggest human error was to blame. While King County and jurisdictions across our region administer similar public alert systems, we have safeguards in place to prevent this type of misstep. Strict procedures are in place and ongoing training is required of those authorized to issue emergency alerts. We will also look closely at Hawaii’s processes to see what else… Read More
Congratulations! Lorinda Youngcourt, the King County Director of the Department of Public Defense, has been elected to the Steering Committee of the National Association for Public Defense. The Steering Committee is comprised of member-leaders who have risen to distinction through their contributions to the National Association for Public Defense NAPD. It guides the organization with a primary goal of shaping it into a self-sufficient and self-governing entity. Lorinda was a unanimous electee, and her term is effective as of January 18.
Recently Michael Jacobson, the Deputy Director for Performance and Strategy with the County’s Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget (PSB), was highlighted in a radio and online piece by KNKX. The piece, entitled “Almost 30 years In The Making, A Seattle Man Gets Ahold Of Two Boats From Taiwan,” shared Michael’s passion for the tatala, an indigenous boat from Taiwan. “It is made up of 21 pieces of wood that have been very carefully custom carved to fit together. There’s pegs holding these pieces of wood together. You see the puzzle shaped nature of this. There’s no… Read More
The results of the 2017 Employee Survey are out and we’re sharing some of the findings in key areas of the survey. This week we’re looking at leadership. Q5. County leadership has/have a clear vision for the organization: 56% agree | 25 % neutral | 12% disagree. This is a 4 percentage point increase from last year. Q6. County leadership communicate(s) the organization’s mission and goals: 58% agree | 24% neutral | 12% disagree. This is a 4 percentage point increase from last year. Q7. County leadership is/are visible to employees: 39%… Read More
Let’s get growing: One million trees by 2020 As someone who has lived her whole life in the Evergreen State, I have always had a strong affinity for the trees that define our landscape and so much of our lives. As a kid I remember being amazed that you could determine the age of a tree by counting its rings. As a college student learning about our Native American history and the first settlers, I was struck by photographs of enormous Douglas firs that grew right up to the edge of… Read More
Dear fellow King County employee, Today I am announcing a proposal to create a new Department of Local Services that would enable us to provide more effective services to the 250,000 people who live in unincorporated communities in King County. Serving the people of this incredibly vast and diverse area is challenging, with its mosaic of rural communities, urban neighborhoods, farmland and forests, islands and mountains. Our employees work hard every day to deliver the services that residents rely on, even as General Fund revenues struggle to keep up with population growth… Read More