Crossposted from King County Employee Giving Program  Did you know that the Employee Giving Program (EGP) operates year-round?  The fun and satisfaction of getting involved with your coworkers and your community doesn’t have to stop when the Annual Giving Drive comes to a close. Now is a great time to get involved with the Program.  Join the EGP Committee 30 years in operation, 30 million dollars raised.  If we made it look easy then you can thank the EGP Committee.   This National Award-Winning committee is composed of 15 King County employees who… Read More

King County employees can now access discounted pet insurance through Hartville Pet Insurance, brought to you by Liberty Mutual Insurance. Employees will receive up to 10% off a single pet plan and 20% off multiple pet plans. Visit www.hartvillepetinsurance.com/kingcounty to get a quote and access discounts (the discount code is embedded within the URL). Learn more here.   See all available discounts on the Employee Discount Program website.   

As part of our work to become a best-run government, King County is taking a new look at how we operate, and finding ways to do things better. “We’ve always done it this way” is no longer enough – especially as needs grow and resources shrink.  Jennifer Hills, who leads the Office of Risk Management Services (ORMS), is one of those people who are helping the county examine policies and procedures through a new lens. Thanks to her team’s work, we now have an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program that encourages county… Read More

On Friday, Jan. 18, King County Executive Dow Constantine joined leaders representing King County, Port of Seattle, City of Seattle, Sound Transit, Delta Air Lines, and Alaska Airlines to launch a unified public awareness campaign to stop human trafficking, encouraging survivors to call a national hotline for assistance.  The campaign is modeled after a successful campaign led by the King County Council in 2013 that dramatically increased the number of trafficking survivors who called for resources, including medical care, financial assistance, and housing.  “Today, we stand united – public, private, and nonprofit… Read More

Marcus Naylor began a new chapter in his legal career earlier this month, when he was sworn in as a judge for the county’s Northeast District Court in Redmond. Donning a robe marks a big shift for this long-time public defender, but he sees his new position as a continuation of what he has long done and always loved. “I went into public defense as a way to touch people’s lives,” he said. “I see a judicial position as a way to continue to have an impact.” Marcus started his public defense… Read More

Since 2015, the annual Employee Engagement Survey has been used to hear from employees about how to make King County a better place to work, and how to provide services more effectively to residents. The learnings form the basis of Investing in YOU, a strategy to build a workplace where employees have the tools, support, and opportunity to do their best work.   Four years into this journey, it’s time to reflect, learn and look at where improvements can be made. 2019 will bring some exciting changes and a relationship with a new vendor,… Read More

Salary: $114,771.28 – $145,479.36 Annually  Location: Seattle, WA  Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week  Department: DLS – Department of Local Services  Job Number: 2019MCK09218  Closing: 2/4/2019 11:59 PM Pacific  King County’s new Department of Local Services (DLS) is currently recruiting for an External Relations Manager to work out of the Director office and serve as a key member of the Department’s Leadership team. The External Relations Manager will lead this new Department’s community engagement, strategic external and internal communications, media relations, public affairs, and community partnerships efforts to achieve the DLS goals and long-term… Read More

After assisting a staff member from the Assessor’s Office on a rush deed request, assistant archivist Amanda Demeter received the following praise:   “Woman – You Seriously Rock!!!! Thank you Thank you!”   Congrats and thank you to Amanda for delivering excellent service.

Sophia Lopez, King County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) public education coordinator, was featured in a December 19 Seattle Weekly article about how King County is preparing for a major earthquake such as a magnitude 9.0 Cascadia Subduction Zone quake.  Seattle Weekly contacted OEM in response to December’s earthquake in Alaska, and a report that questioned the Puget Sound region’s preparedness for such a disaster. Read the article here.

Crossposted from Tails from RASKC  We’d like to introduce you to Wilson, our Pet of the Week!  This super senior boy loves getting attention from his humans, and especially loves neck rubs! Wilson has an “Easy Going Green” personality, meaning he is adaptable, outgoing, and carefree. Wilson is also independent and likes to do his own thing at times.   Read more from Tails from RASKC

All Home is seeking volunteers outside of Seattle for Count Us In 2019, the annual Point in Time (PIT) Count of people experiencing homelessness. The count will take place in the early hours of the morning of January 25, 2019 from 2-6 a.m. The core purpose of the annual Point in Time (PIT) Count is to collect data on the needs of people experiencing homelessness in our community. The count also provides an excellent opportunity to increase awareness of homelessness and to spark action. A successful and accurate PIT Count is an… Read More

All staff are invited to learn about King County’s commitment to confront climate change and understand how to contribute to a major update to the County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP) that will start in 2019. The SCAP is King County’s five-year blueprint for County action to confront climate change, integrating climate change considerations into all areas of County operations and our work with communities. Based on high demand, we’ve added an additional lunch and learn session to outline the SCAP update process and share how staff can engage and contribute ideas. Please RSVP for… Read More

Crossposted from Metro Matters  These are some of the most frequently asked questions from our riders about the viaduct closure and the new SR 99 tunnel. If you have additional questions, leave a comment below and we’ll answer them.  How much gridlock is anticipated during the State Route 99 closure? How will travel times change?  From Jan. 11 to the week of Feb. 3 – after the Alaskan Way Viaduct permanently closes and before the SR 99 tunnel opens – buses, trains and light rail will be more crowded than usual, especially during peak travel times… Read More

Retiring King County Sheriff Deputy Kurt Lysen was celebrated in the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber with a featured profile for his 38 years serving the public of King County. The article highlighted his personal and professional background, his passion for being involved in the community and includes quotes from colleagues, friends, and fellow volunteers.  “Vashon is a unique community that requires a unique type of policing. Kurt was the perfect and most effective deputy Vashon could ask for,” said Deputy Jeff Hancock. “What I saw that set Kurt apart from all the other deputies working the island… Read More

Skype 101, Jan. 16 and 18: To support a more agile work force, King County has purchased a Microsoft package that includes the Skype software. This software has many uses and allows employees to avoid relying upon email for electronic communications. Skype was not only designed as a quick communication tool but also provides capabilities of remote meetings, video presentations as well as a great training tool. Register and learn more here for the 16 and here for the 18. You’re the Boss: Now What? Feb. 28: Has your job position changed and now you are in charge?… Read More

On Thursday, Jan. 10, King County’s 32nd annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration was held at The Sanctuary Seattle in downtown Seattle. The event focused on a unifying theme, drawing from a popular Dr. King quote, that truthfulness and love can have a profound impact on the world: “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”  Executive Constantine shared how the event theme aligns with the work King County is doing to achieve equity and social justice for all residents.  “Dr. King’s reference to… Read More

King County and the City of Seattle have embraced the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program as an effective and credible alternative for local law enforcement to booking people into jail for criminal activity that stems from untreated mental health or substance use disorders. By working with law enforcement to channel these individuals into community-based interventions, LEAD effectively disrupts their cycling repeatedly through our criminal justice system and gives them the tools and opportunity to achieve stability in the community.   Learn more about this innovative program at a LEAD Lunch and Learn held Friday, Jan…. Read More

Road Maintenance Manager Jeremy Ferguson was recently honored by the American Public Works Association (APWA) Washington State Chapter for his achievements in the public works profession. The Night of Excellence conference recognizes individuals for personal and team accomplishments.  First, Jeremy received the June Rosentreter Spence Award, which recognizes efforts to recruit individuals into the public works field, especially those historically underrepresented such as women, minorities, and people with disabilities. His recognition for this award can be viewed in this video. Jeremy was also a co-recipient of the APWA Committee in Action Award for his work on the Diversity Committee. This… Read More

A new podcast from King County Superior Court features Judge Laura Inveen, who has been on the bench for 26 years and spent the last two years as Presiding Judge. We talk to her about what a “PJ” does and how she works with 52 co-equal colleagues. Listen to the podcast here. 

Salary: $107,762.09 – $130,276.64 Annually  Location: Seattle, WA  Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week  Department: MTD – Metro Transit  Job Number: 2018EE09146  Closing: 1/17/2019 11:59 PM Pacific  King County Metro – recently named North America’s most outstanding large transit system – is a leader in helping people move quickly throughout the region, reducing commuter stress, greening the environment and radically improving urban air quality, by providing comfortable, effective transit services for the thousands of commuters and other residents of King County, Washington. We provides mobility services that connect people and communities in Seattle… Read More

Crossposted from Tails from RASKC  This girl needs a new home in the New Year – meet Pearl, our Pet of the Week!  She was brought in by a good Samaritan last May, and thought she had found her forever home. Unfortunately though, Pearl had to come back to us because her adopter was allergic. They did say that Pearl was a great pet, potty trained, and super well behaved.  Read more from Tails from RASKC

This piece was featured at the top of the Seattle Times’ Rant and Raves list for December 30, 2018. Kudos to our efficient King County Metro Transit!   “RAVE To Sound Transit, King County Metro Transit and Seattle Center Monorail for providing me and my out-of-town visitor a pleasant adventure from Auburn into Seattle, all on public transportation! From the kind attendant in Auburn who alerted us that we were on the wrong side of the train platform, to the friendly enforcers who boarded the train to verify riders had paid. Once into Seattle, everyone was… Read More

Lean Problem-Solving Basics, Feb. 5: Do you feel like you tackle the same problems over and over again? In order to effectively solve problems once and for all, they must be solved at the root! Attendees will learn basic A3 Problem Solving, the powerful method borrowed from the Toyota Production System (TPS), learn techniques to incorporate problem solving and continuous improvement in daily work and build on existing Lean practices within your organization. Register and learn more.  Introduction to Career Development, Feb. 5: In this workshop you will learn the key elements of career development,… Read More

Councilmember Rod Dembowski has been elected as the new Chair of the King County Council.  The decision was made earlier this afternoon following passage of a reorganization motion approved by the council. The legislation also appointed Reagan Dunn and reappointed Claudia Balducci to serve as Vice Chairs.  Read more in the official press release. 

You and your spouse or significant other are invited to learn more about the King County Deferred Compensation Plan at education sessions offered throughout the year.  In-person sessions are coming up Jan. 15–17. Click here for details and registration.   For more information about Deferred Compensation Plan education, including webinars, go to the Deferred Compensation web page.  If you have any questions, please contact KC Deferred Comp.