Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
King County’s Supported Employment Program matches job seekers with developmental disabilities to jobs by identifying efficiencies and unmet needs throughout King County government. King County is celebrating Disability Awareness Month in October and recognizing the work that County employees do to serve and support people with disabilities in our community, including the Supported Employment Program. Many divisions have partnered with Christina Davidson, Supported Employment Program Manager, to hire through the Program to meet their business needs. Recent hiring Departments and Divisions include: Dept. of Natural Resources and Parks in the Solid Waste, Wastewater and Parks Divisions, Dept…. Read More
Discounts for the Summit at Snoqualmie 2017-2018 Season Pass are available through December 31, 2017. To take advantage of the King County Discount for Xpass (all ages), Limited pass (covering adult, young adult, teen and youth) and Unlimited (covering adult, young adult, teen, youth and child) season passes follow these online instructions. To purchase passes for the Snow Guarantee or Senior Pass (ages 62-69) please follow these instructions. More information about the Snow Guarantee can be found here. Information about the discount pricing can be found here. Beginning October 19 Teatro Zinzanni will be performing at King County’s Marymoor Park and is offering a discount to all King County employees. Employees can save over $20… Read More
Though our region hasn’t felt a major earthquake in more than 15 years, we all need to be prepared for the next time the ground moves. That’s why King County encourages everyone to take part in the Great Washington ShakeOut on Thursday, October 19. At 10:19 a.m., or another time convenient to you, practice what you would do in an earthquake: DROP to the floor Take COVER under a desk, table, or other sturdy furniture and protect your head HOLD ON until the shaking stops. FMD will announce the earthquake drill in many King County buildings, and we encourage you… Read More
King County strives to be a workplace where every employee is supported to thrive and do their best work free from harassment and discrimination, which is why the King County Investigation and Resolution Office (KCIRO) was launched in July 2016 as a pilot program to work with department leaders and employees to help mitigate complaints under the County’s nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policy. “KCIRO seeks to minimize the disruption to the workplace, help the parties maintain a positive working relationship, and reduce the time, cost, and worry of resolving a complaint,” said Steve Zwerin, Investigation Manager… Read More
Closing Date/Time: Sun. 10/29/17 11:59 PM Pacific Time Salary: $73,132.80 – $104,374.40 Annually Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Location: 35030 SE Douglas Street, Suite 210, Snoqualmie, Washington Department: Department of Permitting and Environmental Review Description: The Department of Permitting and Environmental Review is seeking an Associate or Senior Engineer (Engineer II or III). The work will involve review of development permit applications such as subdivision, building, commercial, right-of-way use, and clearing and grading permits. This position will conduct reviews as they relate to engineering designs for roadway and drainage improvements, and/or impacts… Read More
Angela Toussaint, Continuous Improvement Manager with the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget, will be recognized for her exceptional work in identifying and making improvements to the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention Corrections Officer Hiring Process. She will be recognized at the DAJD’s Eighteenth Annual Employee Awards Ceremony on October 26 with the Distinguished Service award. Kudos to Angela for her dedication and professionalism in this achievement and for furthering the DAJD mission of providing safe, secure and humane detention facilities!
Brightwater Center is a bridge linking existing educational, research, professional and apprenticeship programs with the operation of a new wastewater facility; The Center is a meeting and learning place for science, the environment and human impacts; and The Center aims to connect community members, schools and organizations with real life examples of science, environmental protection and sustainable development in action. Follow Brightwater Center – King County on Facebook today! Click here to view all King County social media pages.
Starting November 1, King County Metro will offer reserved permit parking for carpoolers at nine additional park-and-rides, including Green Lake, Aurora Village, Shoreline, Kenmore, Bear Creek, Bothell, Kingsgate, Wilburton, Renton Metropolitan Place and Tukwila. Permits are already available at Redmond, Issaquah Highlands, South Kirkland, South Renton, Northgate and Eastgate. Spaces are reserved for permit-holders on weekdays until 8:30 a.m. You can apply now for a free monthly permit at all 15 locations through Republic Parking Northwest. Groups of two or more carpoolers who travel together to a participating park & ride can apply. Basic… Read More
King County and the Coalition of Unions have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year Master Labor Agreement (MLA) that will, once ratified, help the County advance towards its goal to be a workplace where every employee has the tools, knowledge and support to innovate, achieve their career goals and deliver equitable, high quality service to our customers. “The MLA delivers on many of the objectives of my Investing in You, Best Run Government and Equity and Social Justice priorities,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in announcing the tentative MLA. “It standardizes many work processes, large and small;… Read More
On Tuesday, October 10, the Yesler Bridge Rehabilitation Project was completed and opened to traffic. Thank you for your patience and cooperation through this process. Check out the Yesler Bridge project video, featuring the historical preservation of the bridge and a general project update. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the project further, please contact YeslerBridge@seattle.gov or 206-684-8684. To learn more about the project, visit the project website.
Leave the car at home during October and reap the benefits of sharing or saving rides to work. Complete and track at least six days of Wheel Options—that’s vanpooling, biking, walking, skateboarding, carpooling, taking transit, tele-commuting, compressing your work schedule or a combination of all modes—and you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a chance to win some great prizes—including a $1,500 grand prize, $500 second prize and a host of $50 retail gift cards. Already with Wheel Options? Log-in. So join us in Crafting Your Commute! Questions? Contact Employee Transportation Manager Hossein Barahimi at Hossein.Barahimi@Kingcounty.gov or by phone at (206)477-5853…. Read More
Each year King County employees help hundreds of nonprofit organizations do vital work in our community and around the world by donating to the Annual Giving Drive, and this year’s Giving Drive is now underway. The start of this year’s Giving Drive coincides with Disability Awareness Month, which King County celebrates each October. The following are four participating nonprofits whose work helps people with disabilities in our community (click and scroll down for details): The Arc of King County (9233) – Serving individuals and families with intellectual and developmental disabilities through case management, peer support, leadership… Read More
Employees are welcome to join us for a presentation on the current understanding of Sea Level Rise in the Puget Sound. Come hear Dr. Ian Miller, Coastal Hazard Specialist from Washington SeaGrant, discuss sea level rise and how it may present itself in the Puget Sound. Wednesday, October 18 from noon to 1:00 p.m. King Street Center, 201 South Jackson Street, 8th Floor Conference Room All King County employees welcome, but space is limited. Please sign up here. For more information, please contact Shaun O’Neil at Shaun.O’neil@kingcounty.gov or 206-477-4432.
On Oct. 14, Google Chrome becomes the first browser to significantly step-up security notifications. If a website lacks a special security authentication, this is what people will see: But not KC webpages that manage health data, financial data and other private data. KCIT inventoried all pages weeks ago to ensure data pages are secure and encrypted and users will NOT see that notification when submitting data like credit card information to a county website. However, because King County has thousands of pages, it was difficult to secure ALL non-data pages by the… Read More
Crossposted from Bytes and Boxes Today an industry leader in public transit, Metro has been shaped by citizen involvement since its establishment by the voters of King County 60 years ago. One significant area of Metro leadership and citizen engagement has been the development of accessible transit services for people with disabilities. The Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (“Metro”) was formed in 1958 with a public mandate to improve local water quality. Over time, Metro expanded to other civic projects and services. The Forward Thrust bond campaign, headed by community activist James Ellis,… Read More
This article is featured courtesy of Karla Lynch, Employment and Community Access Program Manager, with Department of Community and Human Services When we think about our careers, and how we landed in our present jobs, we recognize that each path is unique. The same is true for persons with developmental disabilities (DD). In the early days of the supported employment movement, most people who experienced a developmental disability worked in sheltered workshops – segregated settings in which persons with DD worked together, typically performing a variety of manual tasks. As we’ve learned more about how to… Read More
Effective Jan. 1, 2018, for most union groups and all non-represented employees, domestic partners and their children will not be eligible for King County benefits, except for state-registered domestic partners. King County will continue to offer employee benefits to non-state-registered domestic partners and their children for the remainder of 2017. Why is King County making this change? King County previously extended employee benefits to the domestic partners of employees to correct an inequity in benefits provided to same-sex couples. This policy was enacted at a time when same-sex marriage was prohibited in Washington. However,… Read More
Dear fellow King County employee, To make sure we are hearing from as many employees as possible, the 2017 Employee Survey has been extended by one week and will now close this Friday, October 13. This year’s survey period was one week shorter than last year’s, and while our daily response rates are higher than in 2016, we have not heard from as many total employees as we did last year. Employees in all branches and departments of King County, except the Superior Court, District Court and the Sheriff’s Office, and employees who… Read More
Dear King County Employee, As King County employees, we are fortunate to work and live in one of the most dynamic and diverse areas in the nation, with a robust economy, world-class universities, stunning landscapes, and a strong sense of community. Not everybody, however, has equitable access to opportunity, and we as County employees play a key role in changing this and creating a better region for all. It is in the spirit of community that we invite you to participate in the King County Employee Giving Program’s 2017 Annual Giving Drive…. Read More
Stormwater runoff is the water that flows off of hard, impermeable surfaces–like roofs, sidewalks, and roads–when it rains. This water picks up pollutants before it flows into stormdrains that then take the untreated water and dump it directly into streams, rivers, lakes, and Puget Sound. Pollution from stormwater runoff is currently the number one source of pollution in Puget Sound. King County is working hard to fix this problem, but we can’t do it alone. Like our page to learn more about what you can do to help protect our environment from dirty stormwater and to stay up to… Read More