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Holiday travel? Metro will help you get there
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King County Wins 2025 Geospatial Professional Network Award for Innovative AI-GIS System
Recognizing the service of Metro veterans
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King County Council Women’s History Month celebration, March 25
The King County Council will host its annual educational panel discussion for Women’s History Month. The purpose of the event is to bring people together to explore, share and honor women’s history. This year’s theme is Moving forward together! Women educating and inspiring generations, which will be an opportunity to celebrate the collective strength and influence of women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship, and leadership. Councilmembers will also present the second annual Jeanne Kohl-Welles Women Uplifting Women Award. Tuesday, March 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. King County Chinook Building, Rooms… Read More
Department of Local Services launches LinkedIn, YouTube accounts
Crossposted from King County Local There are now more ways to connect with the King County Department of Local Services. We’re excited to announce that we have launched our official LinkedIn and YouTube channels! These channels offer new ways for us to engage with the communities we serve in an ever-evolving social media landscape. These also allow us to give the public a direct connection to those on the Department of Local Services team. Read more.
Helping people in a crisis: Update on King County’s Mobile Rapid Response Crisis Teams
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections King County launched its new Mobile Rapid Response Crisis Teams (MRRCT)1 in December and the expanded program is providing much-needed relief to our communities while we build more crisis care centers for people to go in a mental health, drug or alcohol related crisis. Mobile crisis teams are trained mental health workers and peer specialists with lived experience of mental health or substance use challenges. They travel to help people in a crisis where they are. The teams work to calm, stabilize, and solve the crisis in the field and then connect people… Read More
Recognizing our employees as we celebrate Transit Appreciation Week!
Crossposted from Metro Matters March 16-22 is Transit Appreciation Week, which recognizes and celebrates everyone who contributes to the operation of the best transit system in America: King County Metro! A highlight of the week is Transit Operator Appreciation Day on Tuesday, March 18. The most visible faces you see every day are the operators—bus drivers, light rail and streetcar operators, Access, DART and Metro Flex drivers and Water Taxi captains and crew—but our regional mobility system has more than 5,700 people working to get you where you need to go comfortably and safely every… Read More
Watch 2025 State of the County address on March 26
King County Executive Dow Constantine will deliver his 2025 State of the County address at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, and employees are invited to watch the address live from their workspaces. You can watch Executive Constantine’s address streaming live online or by tuning to King County TV: To stream online paste the following in your browser: https://livestream.com/accounts/15175343/events/4485487 To watch on King County TV tune to Channel 22 (Comcast Channel 22 and 322 (HD) or Wave Broadband Channel 22). Every year, during the State of the County address, Executive Constantine discusses the condition of our… Read More
Meet some of the amazing women of King County Metro!
Crossposted from Metro Matters In honor of Women’s History Month in March, we’ve asked some of the fantastic women at King Count Metro to discuss why they work in transit. Desiree Andersen, Metro Transit Operator Being a Metro Bus Operator has been one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. Each day I get to interact with people from all walks of life. I get to look through a unique window into our King County community. Driving for Metro has taught me to be grateful for the little things, having… Read More
King County Security Tips – Lock your screen
Locking your screen when you get up from your desk is a security action that is often overlooked and can have dangerous consequences. Failing to lock your screen can open you up to several vulnerabilities–some more serious than others. Although many organizations have a policy which automatically locks your screen with a screen saver after a certain amount of inactivity, not all screen savers are password-protected, leaving your workstation defenseless. Here are a few actions the bad guys can do when you leave your workstation unlocked and unattended: Files can be downloaded… Read More
Tap your King County ID or ORCA card on transit
King County Metro will resume fare inspection on March 31. Fare Enforcement Officers will ask riders for proof of payment. As a reminder, everyone—even riders with fully-subsidized transit benefits from an employer like King County—needs to tap their King County ID or use another payment method. As a reminder, you can use your King County ID to travel anywhere, at any time, for free on transit. Tapping your card directly supports transit—and benefits you and Metro in other ways, too. For example, it lets Metro know how you ride public transportation so they can… Read More
Submit 2024 FSA claims by March 31, 2025
If you still have funds remaining in last year’s Health Care or Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), take the following steps to get reimbursed for expenses incurred in 2024. Check your FSA balances – Go to Navia Benefits and log in as a participant. Learn about eligible expenses incurred Jan. 1—Dec. 31, 2024 – Health Care FSAs cover a variety of medically necessary expenses for you and your eligible family members, including deductibles, coinsurance, and copays, and other Eligible Health Care Expenses. Day Care FSAs cover a range of services for your child, disabled spouse, or dependent parent… Read More
Balanced You Conversations: Understanding your benefits with Matt Munson
Balanced You Conversations is a series of talks about important topics related to overall health and well-being. Karla Clark, Employee Health & Wellness Educator with the Balanced You team sits down with Matt Munson, King County Benefits Navigator. They discuss the work Matt does to help educate all King County employees about their benefits and the options they have, the importance of having a primary care provider, and some of the things he likes to do outside of work. “I’m always available to talk to employees about the available benefit options and… Read More
ORCA transit ridership grows to 151 million trips
Crossposted from Metro Matters Regional ridership jumps 12% in 2024 Transit in the Puget Sound region delivered 17 million more trips in 2024 than the prior year, according to six ORCA transit agencies. Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit and Sound Transit delivered 134 million trips in 2023 and 151 million trips in 2024. The growing popularity of transit aligns with recent expansions and improvements across the region. Transit agencies celebrated adding more bus trips, opening new bus rapid transit lines, launching Sound Transit Link light rail… Read More
Airport unveils new hybrid electric fire truck, cutting air and noise pollution
Crossposted from the DES Express King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA) is the first airport in the country to receive a hybrid electric airport fire truck to respond to emergencies like aircraft crashes or hangar fires. The Oshkosh® Striker® Volterra™ from Oshkosh Airport Products dramatically cuts greenhouse gas and particulate emissions compared to diesel-only fire trucks. KCIA’s new hybrid electric fire engine is designed to maximize performance while reducing fuel use, emissions and maintenance costs. The new fire truck is part of the airport’s work to combat climate change and allows the airport to… Read More
Digital Accessibility Training now available in NEOGOV
All King County employees are invited to learn more about digital accessibility in the free course: “Beyond Compliance: Building an Accessible and Inclusive King County,” now available in the NEOGOV Learn catalog. Developed in collaboration with the Office of Equity, Racial, and Social Justice (OERSJ) KCIT, this 45-minute online training is designed to foster a deeper understanding of disability rights, digital accessibility standards, universal design, disability etiquette, and proactive accommodations. This is an introductory course and applicable to all county employees, regardless of their current learning level. Digital accessibility is crucial to ensure… Read More
Together We Thrive: Employee Engagement Survey is coming soon
The Employee Engagement Survey is returning and will take place March 31 – April 21. We know that to provide great service to the public, King County needs to be a great place to work. The survey is an important tool to help us continue to be one. It also provides an opportunity to check in with employees to learn what is going well and where we need to improve. That is why your participation is critical – we need each employee to provide feedback about their experience so that we can… Read More
From the Director’s Desk: Women’s History and Employee Appreciation
From the DAJD newsletter Women have served in law enforcement nearly as long as official police and corrections departments have been in existence in the U.S. In jails, female staff provided needed care and protection for incarcerated women. Read more.
King County Security Tips – HTTPS the ‘S’ stands for secure
If you have ever signed in to a website such as Facebook or Amazon, you will notice that on the login page, the URL will change from ‘http’ to ‘https’. What that little ‘s’ stands for is secure. It means that your web browser and the website have both agreed to communicate securely so that no other individuals will be able to ‘listen in’ on your conversation. If you needed to communicate some sensitive information such as a password to someone else, you would not shout out in the open ‘HERE IS… Read More
“Favorites” link changing to new Employee Intranet homepage
King County has launched a new Employee Intranet homepage, along with an intranet site and updated public-facing pages for the Department of Human Resources (DHR). These changes centralize all employee information into a single portal, accessible only to King County employees, while also making it easier for residents to find what they need on kingcounty.gov. New pages: King County Employee Intranet homepage (SharePoint) Department of Human Resources Intranet (SharePoint) Department of Human Resources public webpages On March 11, KCIT will change the quick link in all Executive branch employees’ “Favorites” menu to the new King… Read More
Try telehealth to receive health care at home
King County employees and family members enrolled in Kaiser and Regence medical plans have access to telehealth services that allow you to virtually access board-certified, trained medical providers from your home, using a tablet, smart phone, or personal computer. Read this blog for more information on how to access telehealth care for both Kaiser Permanente and Regence members. Supervisors: Here is a printer-friendly PDF with primary care provider resources to post at your worksites for employees who do not have access to email.
Pet adopters and foster homes still urgently needed at RASKC
Also: What to do if you lose a pet, or find an animal at large in the community Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) continues to be overwhelmed with the number of animals at the Pet Adoption Center in Kent. Pet adopters and foster homes are urgently needed to address overcrowding at the shelter. “All of our dog kennels are full, and in fact we’re ‘double bunking’ some of the smaller dogs to make room,” said Tim Anderson, interim manager at RASKC. “Our cat condos are also overflowing, with peak kitten… Read More
DAJD’s Angela Toussaint honored as ‘Unsung Hero of Black Seattle’
By Noah Haglund, DAJD Communications Specialist The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s (DAJD) Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Manager, Angela Toussaint, was honored as an “Unsung Hero of Black Seattle” for 35 years of community service at a Black History Month celebration hosted by Byrd Barr Place. The award was presented on Feb. 22. Originally founded in 1964 as the Central Area Motivation Program, Byrd Barr Place was led by the Honorable Larry Gossett from 1979 until his election to the King County Council in 1993. Byrd Barr Place’s mission is to help… Read More
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