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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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Tech Tip: Common IT wisdom that keeps you secure
By Ralph Johnson, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer Day in and day out, employees hear the same things from their IT staff about cybersecurity and safety. Though they may sound like a broken record, there are very important reasons and rationale behind these practices and advice. Keeping safe and secure while connected isn’t just about how your system is set up – it is also very much about how you end up using it. Below, we discuss some common IT staff wisdom and provide some background information and the rationale as to… Read More
King County Information Technology Service Alert: SharePoint changes
What’s happening? On Wednesday, March 22 at 9 p.m., KCIT is performing an upgrade that may affect how you login to Office 365 applications such as SharePoint Online, CRM Online, etc. After this change has been implemented, you are required to use your email address and password to login to these Microsoft applications. This is the same password that you use to access email, Skype for Business, etc. Why are we doing this? This change is required because Microsoft is retiring the current account synchronization method in April 2017 and we must… Read More
KCCF Corrections Officer Chris Chu lives for moments of peace and solace
Shared from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s Employee Spotlight The Chinese New Year in downtown Seattle’s International District can be heard clear across the skyscrapers to the Puget Sound. KCCF Corrections Officer Chris Chu provides the rhythmic drumbeat during the Lion Dance. When he is finished, he walks amongst the participants and onlookers, mounts his BMW motorcycle, and briefly, the exhaust’s roar mingles with the boisterous festivities. A pile of fallen orange and red leaves scatter excitedly as the motorcycle roars across I-90 as its rider travels up to Snoqualmie… Read More
Bus operator takes passengers on multi-lingual, multicultural experience
Bus driver Kathy Maddux cares about her riders. She wants them to enjoy the time on board her bus as they drive together around the city. In late December 2016 she used a car window marker to make them feel especially welcome, by writing write fun messages to her riders on the windows. Just an afterthought after finding the non-permanent marker in her daughter’s backpack, the messages Kathy wrote were simple and thoughtful. “The first day I did it, I wrote ‘Happy January’ facing the inside of the bus, and ‘Feliz Enero,’… Read More
2017 State of the County address
Dear fellow King County employee, In our work together, we are continuing to reinvent how King County does business. We call it Best Run Government, a mindset that embraces innovation, continuous improvement and teamwork to take on challenges, big and small, in our communities. Along the way we’ve been winning national recognition and the support of our residents for our ideas. That support led to the success of Sound Transit 3, which will allow us to build on the successes of our transit system – including Metro’s RapidRide network and ORCA LIFT… Read More
Kudos to Career Support Services for helping employees manage careers and improve skills!
Career Support Services offers a variety of services, training and resources to King County employees in the areas of career development and job search, including support for career-service employees facing layoff. It has received rave reviews from employees who spoke with a career coach about their career plan, and also by employees going through layoffs. Employees from around the County have shared: “This is an excellent resource, I plan on utilizing more of the services offered as well as letting my co-workers know.” –Department of Transportation “Very helpful, thank you for this… Read More
Social Media Spotlight: Department of Natural Resources and Parks Twitter
Check out news and information from King County Natural Resources and Parks. Follow King County DNRP on Twitter today! Click here to view all King County social media pages.
New naming conventions at King County
King County is changing the way new employees access King County systems. We have changed the login standards for various email-based systems to move toward a single, universal sign on. A single, universal sign on is simpler to remember, easier to automate new account creation and increases the county’s ability to protect against phishing, scams and other cyberthreats. What will it look like? Whether you sign into your PC or email, it will be first letter of first name plus last name. For Juan Hernandez it will be: jhernandez to sign into… Read More
Tech Tip: Skype Bites: How to get Skype for Business into your Outlook and Calendar Ribbon
Lots of people email me, Jamie Holter, and say, “I can’t even get Skype on my computer! Your Skype bites are of no use to me!!” Well, here’s how to do it in 30 seconds.. well… 39 seconds.
Employee discounts to Washington State Spring Fair
Employees can get discounts to the 2017 Washington State Spring Fair. Single gate tickets prices are: Adult $9.50 (usually $12), Student (Ages 6-18) $7.50 (usually $10), Kids (Ages 5 & under) ALWAYS FREE! The Spring Fair runs April 20-23 in Puyallup. To purchase tickets, visit thefair.com/corporate, click the “Buy Tickets” button, and enter access password king17. Discounted tickets are available through April 20 only at thefair.com/corporate. Learn more. See all available discounts on the Employee Discount Program webpage.
CPR classes available this spring
King County employees are welcome to sign up for available CPR classes. Dates for March-July classes are as follows: Basic Heartsaver CPR/AED Training (Open to all King County employees), Register at http://kccpr.eventbrite.com Thursday, March 23, 2017- 11:30 a.m.- 2:30 pm, Chinook Bldg., Room 126 Monday, April 12, 2017- 9am-12 pm, KC Elections, Renton Monday, April 12, 2017- 12:30-3:30, KC Elections, Renton Tuesday, May 23, 2017- 11:30-2:30, Chinook Bldg, Room 115 Thursday, June 22, 2017- 10 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Chinook Bldg, Room 126 Wednesday, July 26, 2017 11:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m., Chinook Bldg, Room… Read More
Nominations needed for Administrative Professionals Day, April 26
The Administrative Professionals Recognition Program is seeking nominations to recognize employees who embody the attributes of excellence and innovation. For information about eligibility and to nominate an employee before Wednesday, April 26, visit the Administrative Professionals Program website. Also, save the date for the upcoming celebration to honor this year’s award recipients to be held Wednesday, April 26, 2017, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at King Street Center, 8th Floor Conference Center. If you would like more information about this event, contact Paige Myers at 206-477-4551 or paige.myers@kingcounty.gov.
The story behind MV Sally Fox’s cribbage boards
Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog Regulars on King County Water Taxi’s Vashon Island route know them well: glossy wooden cribbage boards stationed at one of four seating areas in the lower passenger deck of the MV Sally Fox. On almost every run, enthusiasts of the popular card-and-board game can be seen huddled around one of these game boards, studying their cards, positioning their pegs and hoping for a coveted hand of 29. Seasoned cribbage players such as Mike Sudduth know the game’s lingo inside and out. After all, the Management Services Analyst… Read More
The changing face of Capital Project Management
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is facing the same workforce challenges that confront many clean water utilities across the United States. Hard working senior employees throughout our organization are retiring. We need to recruit new employees and help them onboard to a career protecting public health and our environment. The passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 sparked the beginning of many wastewater careers. A costly and damaging fire on the Cuyahoga River in Ohio triggered an amendment of the 1948 Federal Water Pollution Control… Read More
Leadership and activism: the King County logo honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Crossposted from Bytes and Boxes As County employees, we hope to serve our communities in a way that is just, fair and inclusive of all of our residents. We proudly display the image of Dr. King on our websites, written materials and buildings. But Dr. King’s likeness was not always the County logo. So, how did we get here? The King County Archives has a collection of records related to the events that led up to adoption of the current logo on March 12, 2007. Originally, in 1853, King County was named… Read More
Profiling amazing women working throughout King County: Eden Rogland Peak, KCIT IT Senior Applications Developer
This article is featured courtesy of Jamie Holter, Communications Manager, Department of Information Technology Eden Rogland Peak, KCIT IT Senior Applications Developer How did you get your start in IT? I spent a year after getting my Humanities B.A. working for AmeriCorps and at the end of my service I chose to use the education stipend I earned on computer classes at South Seattle College. At first it was just for fun but I was inspired by some great teachers and decided to go ahead and finish the Software Engineering program. That… Read More
King County Veterans Program’s burial assistance highlighted in Wall Street Journal
Shared from the DCHS Touching Base Newsletter Did you know? In addition to helping veterans, military personnel and their families with financial assistance, employment, housing, counseling and other supports, the King County Veterans Program (KCVP) also helps pay for burial costs of veterans who die indigent. Last year, KCVP was asked by KCPQ 13 to be a part of a story with Seattle’s Columbia Funeral Home about honoring our nation’s heroes both in life and in death. The story aired in May of 2016 and highlighted KCVP’s role in helping fund services… Read More
Texas-bound employee volunteers with refugees and immigrants
Megan Holmes, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, has roots in public service. Growing up, her parents worked with children who experienced trauma in Belfast, Northern Ireland and her mother traveled to the Soviet Union to work with teachers. Megan herself spent six months as a volunteer in Guatemala in 2005. In her work with King County she pursues this passion every day as a senior social worker with the Child Care Health Program. Here she helps children develop the social and emotional skills needed to build positive relationships. Her role also takes… Read More
Online tax payments surpass $300 Million in 2016
More and more taxpayers in King County are opting to pay online thanks to the ease and efficiency of eCommerce. In 2016 King County saw double-digit growth in online tax payments, as the number of online payments increased by 8,775 to 66,338, a 15.2% increase from 2015. First-half property tax payments are due Monday, May 1, and can be paid online. “We are encouraged that more and more taxpayers are gravitating toward electronic payments,” said Mark Thompson, Property Tax Supervisor with King County Treasury Operations. “Leveraging technology is just one way we… Read More
Yesler Bridge Rehabilitation Project: Update, March 2017
Last week the placement of new girders across 4th Ave S was successfully completed. In the next few months the project will work to rehabilitate north and south columns, cladding, capitals, corbels and pedestrian railings. Crews recently opened the sidwalk on the west side of 4th Ave S between S Washington and Jefferson Streets. Crews continue work to widen the bridge footings, and installation of a large electrical utility vault next to the eastern bridge abutment. The sidewalk on the east side of 4th Ave S will be closed until late April. Thank you for your patience as we continue construction activities…. Read More
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