Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
Crossposted from King County Youth Justice King County Juvenile Court and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office tried its first felony case through a peacemaking circle, which incorporated victim advocates, mentors, family members and community leaders through months of what became a transformative mediation. A moderator who led a peacemaking circle movement in Boston is growing the practice here in King County. Rimon and his mother both invested in the first King County Juvenile Court felony case to be resolved through a peacemaking circle, a process inspired by Native American traditions. A week before… Read More
Employees at the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review (DPER) put together care packets for the homeless as a community service project. For the last month DPER employees donated various items such as warm hats, dental kits, personal hygiene items and food items so they could make care packets to distribute to the homeless. This week, many volunteers in the department formed a sort of assembly line in our lunchroom and put together about 50 care kits. There were even some care packets that included treats, toys and food for dogs who may… Read More
Construction crews will close the left lane of northbound 4th Ave S between S Washington and Jefferson streets starting Monday, November 7, through early spring 2017. During this period, crews will also typically close the center lane of 4th Ave S between S Washington and Jefferson streets on week days between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Travel lanes on the east side of the street will remain open during this work. Pedestrian, bicycle, vehicle, and bus detours will be placed around the lane closures, please use caution near the work zone. Due… Read More
King County Regional Veterans Court invites you to the RVC Celebration and Graduation Ceremony. Celebrate the hard work and successes of Regional Veterans Court participants and graduates. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 10, 2016 at 1 p.m. at the King County Courthouse, Room E-326, at 516 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA. Light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP to RVC Manager Callista Welbaum at Callista.welbaum@kingcounty.gov. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Dear Fellow King County Employee, In the wake of the most divisive presidential election of any of our lifetimes, I know that many of us are feeling anxious and uncertain about the future of our nation and our world. I cannot allay those concerns, but I can share with you my hopes for King County and our region and state. In this moment of change and transition, we must reaffirm our values and principles. We will keep our commitment – that all people here will have the opportunity to fulfill their potential…. Read More
This email came from Kaleena Welch, a Veterans Fellow who is wrapping up her time with King County. She wanted to express her gratitude and how King County was able to successfully help her transition from military to civilian life. Good Morning All, I am emailing you to let you know that tomorrow Thursday November 10, 2016 will be my last day working for King County Stormwater Services Section. I want to thank you all for making my time here memorable, valuable, and successful. My transition from the U.S. Army was not… Read More
King County is helping local military veterans make the transition from military to civilian life through its model Veterans Services program. More than 127,000 veterans of the U.S. Military live in King County and, since the 1950s, the County has made it a priority to serve those who’ve served. Early on, the County’s programs provided services to indigent disabled and homeless veterans with funds provided by Revised Code of Washington 73.08.010, which authorized a dedicated property tax as a source of funding. Continuing in that tradition, the residents of King County passed… Read More
Closing Date/Time: Wed. 11/09/16 11:59 PM Pacific Time Salary: $41.57 – $52.69 Hourly, $86,465.60 – $109,595.20 Annually Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Location: Multiple locations in King County, Washington Department: Department of Natural Resources & Parks – Wastewater Treatment Division Description: This position will plan, organize and supervise the administration and inspection of specific construction projects, ensure compliance with plans, specifications, code and relevant regulatory laws, and direct the work of the inspectors. It will also provide inspection information to capital projects and conduct inspections of conveyance systems and other facilities,… Read More
All Home (formerly the Committee to End Homelessness) is a community-wide partnership to make homelessness in King County rare, brief and one-time. We bring together local governments, religious institutions, non-profits, philanthropic organizations, shelter and housing providers, the private sector and engaged citizens in a coordinated effort that both responds to the immediate crisis of homeless individuals and addresses the root causes of the problem in our region. Like All Home on Facebook today! Click here to view all King County social media pages.
This appreciative parent submitted a commendation for Bonita Johnson, a King County Metro driver who went the extra mile to make sure all her passengers, including this young man, got home safe. This parent says: Hello, I am writing to let you know about the excellent customer service my son and I received by one of your drivers. My 12 year old missed his stop and became lost. The driver let him use her phone and when she got to the end of the bus line kept him with her and brought… Read More
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC This is the fourth of nine segments which Univision Seattle, KUNS Channel 51, is proudly airing on Wednesdays at 6pm and 11pm. This segment is focused on adopting a pet. Learn more about RASKC’s stories on Univision. For more information: About RASKC featured stories on Univision Watch RASKC on Univision: Saving lives (story no.1) Watch RASKC on Univision: Pet licensing (story no.2) Watch RASKC on Univision: Pet disaster preparedness (story no. 3) Read more at Tails from RASKC
King County uses a Unified Communications system (UC) for internal and external communications. It replaced the old telephony system. (yes, that’s a word. “Telephony is the technology associated with the electronic transmission of voice, fax, or other information between distant parties using systems historically associated with the telephone, a handheld device containing both a speaker or transmitter and a receiver.”) To provide clarity: Skype is the Microsoft consumer version for personal communications you use (for free or a small fee) to communicate with people. “Skype for Business” is Microsoft business version that… Read More
We have two upcoming legislative forums to identify legislative priorities for the coming year. Developmental Disabilities Legislative Forum – The King County Board for Developmental Disabilities’ 27th annual Legislative Forum will take place on Monday, Nov. 21 at the DoubleTree Suites in Tukwila. This event is hosted by the King County Parent Coalition, a program of The Arc of King County. The King County Board for Developmental Disabilities will present the 2017 legislative agenda, focusing on issues important to the developmental disabilities system. Monday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Suites, 16500… Read More
Crossposted from Lean in King County This summer, after completing the first year of my MPA program at UW’s Evans School, I joined King County’s Performance, Strategy, and Budget Office (PSB) as a Line of Business (LoB) Intern. I wanted to learn about the county, get more connected to the region, and apply my Evans coursework in a meaningful way. I’ve learned a great deal about my own strengths in graphic design and communication, about King County’s Lean management system, and about the way King County agencies collaborate and operate. I had… Read More
KOMO news reported on how more than 900 individuals received free medical care at the clinic, which was held at KeyArena Thursday, October 27 through Sunday, October 30. The clinic relied on over 1,000 volunteers to provide free dental, vision and medical care for almost 4,000 people. Read more about this successful event in the article Massive effort to provide free health care gets underway at KeyArena, including a quote from King County Executive Dow Constantine. Image courtesy of KOMO news
The County’s 2016 Annual Employee Giving Drive is now past the halfway point, and this year’s goal is to raise $1.82 million. King County employees have donated $561,762.41 so far, bringing the drive to 31% of our goal! This week, we’re featuring four nonprofits serving King County’s great outdoors, and each is eligible to receive donations through the Employee Giving Program! Seattle Parks Foundation (2739) 105 S Main St, Ste 235 Seattle, WA 98104 – Seattle Parks Foundation works with volunteers, donors and community leaders to build and sustain a thriving, accessible,… Read More
Why you shouldn’t only vote this November I know for many of you it feels like this election has been going on forever, but here at King County Elections we’ve actually been preparing for years. For this election we will – Process about 100,000 additional voter registrations Send out nearly 1.3 million ballots to King County voters Field more than 27,000 phone calls from voters Count more than a million ballots At our headquarters in Renton we’ll have countless tour groups, party observers and media visitors. On Election Day, we’ll have more… Read More
Al Viray, Al Williamson, and Bryon Fauchald recently received a 35-year service award, as well as lunch with acting Wastewater Treatment Division Director Gunars Sreibers and Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director Christie True, to celebrate each employee and his incredible commitment to wastewater services for our region. Thank you to all three for their dedication to King County! On December 1, 1981 three men, Al Viray, Al Williamson, and Bryon Fauchald, reported for their first day of work at the West Point Treatment plant in Discovery Park. At that time,… Read More
Open Enrollment for your 2017 King County benefits began Tuesday, November 1. This is your opportunity to evaluate your benefit choices and select the right options for you and your family for next year. Learn about your 2017 benefits Our comprehensive benefits package takes good care of the people who take care of King County—by promoting your continued health, financial security, and peace of mind. Use the following resources to learn about your benefits—and what’s changing for next year: Open Enrollment mailer sent to your home King County Open Enrollment website Recorded phone… Read More
Crossposted from Lean in King County In September, King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) celebrated the hard work of hundreds of employees who have been streamlining how WTD operates the regional system and how it builds new facilities needed for our growing population. Employees explained to coworkers how they used Lean techniques to improve efficiency, standardize processes, and save time – thereby saving ratepayers money – during a four-hour open house. WTD has a long history of continuously improving our business using employee ideas. Over 1.5 million people in the region depend… Read More