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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 celebrates September as National Preparedness Month “Start the Conversation”
Crossposted from KC Emergency News Join us in highlighting this year’s theme of “Preparing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities for Risks and Disasters.“ Things to do for National Preparedness Month Register to receive emergency alerts from ALERT King County in 29 languages Sign up for a free virtual Disaster Skills Training on Sept. 25 Join King County Emergency Management for a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” on Sept. 18 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on r/Seattle and r/SeattleWA Take a preparedness selfie and post Sept. 23-27 and tag #KingCountyReady Come learn about emergency preparedness at Uwajimaya Asian Markets from 3 p.m…. Read More
KCSO Deputy Sare and K9 Chuck make their TV debut
The King County Sheriff’s Office celebrated National Police K9 Day (Sept. 1) by making the local news rounds. KCSO Deputy/K9 Handler Sam Sare and his partner Chuck made their TV debuts on both KOMO TV (the Arc) and Good Day Seattle on Q13. Both were most excellent as Deputy Sare explained the benefits and the success of the K9 Program. Chuck, it seems, was born to be a star. Watch the video clip at the link here: King County K9 unit talks about special partnership.
Roads interns complete another amazing summer
Crossposted from King County Local Our amazing Roads interns are wrapping up their summer with us! Since June, these bright and driven students have been exploring various careers within Road Services – from Bridges and Structures to Geotechnical Engineering, Construction Management, Road and Traffic Engineering, and much more. Some of their key takeaways from a summer’s worth of real-world experience: Picked up pro communication skills and teamwork habits Got hands-on with industry programs and software Learned the ropes of safely operating field equipment Saw what goes into project timelines and development Read… Read More
Increase connections during Suicide Prevention Month
National Suicide Prevention Month, recognized during September, is a month to bring awareness to the general public and those who are affected by suicide. Mental health struggles, such as suicidal thoughts, can happen to anyone at any time. Mental health may be especially impacted by the unprecedented levels of loneliness many of us are experiencing. A 2023 Gallup poll indicated that one in five workers worldwide suffer from loneliness. Additionally, the United States Surgeon General issued a report in 2023 stating that our nation was experiencing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation…. Read More
King County partners with University of Washington to open free veteran civil legal clinic
On Sept. 6, King County Executive Dow Constantine and the University of Washington School of Law announced a new partnership to open a free civil legal services clinic for veterans, servicemembers, and their families. Starting in early 2025, law students will work with the Veterans Clinic to provide free legal advice, representation, and services to veterans seeking benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other legal assistance. Read more.
Fifth annual Reconnect to Opportunity High School Resource fair distributes resources to more than 450 community members
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections It is back-to-school season, and this August the Reconnect to Opportunity (ReOpp) team hosted the fifth annual High School Resource fair with 23 community partners and 466 community members participating. The resource fair was initially launched in the summer of 2020 as a drive-through resource fair to connect families to basic needs items for school such as food, school supplies, and backpacks. The fair has become a fixture and draws consistent turnout from the community and organizational partners. Read more.
King County’s investments in the mental health and well-being workforce
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections Supporting the well-being and mental health of our communities is a priority for King County. Even before the pandemic, community members were facing new challenges in accessing supports for mental health care. Since the pandemic, those challenges have deepened, especially for young people who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, and multilingual who have increasing mental health needs but a lack of culturally representative providers. Among other areas of investments in behavioral health, King County is expanding funding in the workforce. The Crisis Care Centers Initiative invests… Read More
King County’s Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station achieves zero energy certification, with more climate successes on the horizon
Crossposted from Keeping King County Green With installation of a new solar array and other energy-saving features completed, the Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station has been Zero Energy Certified by the International Living Future Institute, meaning that over the course of a year the facility generates as much or more energy through solar power than it draws from the electricity grid. “This is a huge milestone for our division,” said Elly Trinh, King County’s Green Building Team Program Manager. “The Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station is the division’s first zero energy facility, and it’s one… Read More
More young people will have access to outdoor recreation, refurbished aquatic centers, and enhanced sports fields with $5 million in King County Parks funding
More young people will have access to outdoor recreation, after-school activities, refurbished aquatic centers, and enhanced sports fields and playgrounds thanks to a combined $5 million in King County Parks funding proposed by Executive Dow Constantine and approved by the County Council. The 63 funded projects include summer backpacking trips for underserved young people, after-school sports and wellness programs in South King County cities, a new synthetic baseball infield in Seattle’s Central District, and improvements for aquatic centers in Des Moines and White Center. “With support from King County Parks, more young… Read More
Is your personal information correct in PeopleSoft?
It’s important to review and update your personal information in PeopleSoft. Here’s why: You will receive important Open Enrollment and other employee benefits information mailed to you at the address you have listed as of Sept. 30, 2024. Your emergency contact can be notified if something happens to you at work. You can be notified of safety directives, building closures, etc. You can receive information at the email address you prefer. Here’s how: Watch the Updating Personal Details in PeopleSoft video or follow these steps: Sign in to PeopleSoft from any device… Read More
Preparing for emergencies in National Preparedness Month
Dear fellow King County employee, King County cares about your safety and well-being and we want to help you stay safe – and keep your family and community safe – in the event of an emergency. September is National Preparedness Month and I want to encourage you to take steps to prepare for a natural disaster or emergency. Our own Office of Emergency Management has training and resources that make preparing easy. Here are three steps you can take to be more prepared: Prepare for an emergency: You can find more… Read More
Increase connections during Suicide Prevention Month
Dear fellow King County employee, National Suicide Prevention Month, recognized during September, is a month to bring awareness to the general public and those who are affected by suicide. Mental health struggles, such as suicidal thoughts, can happen to anyone at any time. Mental health may be especially impacted by the unprecedented levels of loneliness many of us are experiencing. A 2023 Gallup poll indicated that one in five workers worldwide suffer from loneliness. Additionally, the United States Surgeon General issued a report in 2023 stating that our nation was experiencing an… Read More
Records Management Reminder: Transitory records should be routinely destroyed
As government employees, we are bound by various laws and policies that describe what we need to do with our records. The good news is that many of our records are considered transitory. This means that they do not have retention value and can and should be destroyed as soon as they are no longer needed. Some examples of transitory records: Accepted meeting notices Out-of-office replies Cherwell ticket notifications Spam Personal / Non-work related records Newsletters you receive (including this one!) Emails you are CC’d on that do not require or result in… Read More
Fall and winter vaccines: Q&A with Dr. Eric Chow
Crossposted from Public Health Insider We are going to see more respiratory illnesses in the coming months with kids going back to school, more people working in person, and folks spending more time indoors. COVID-19 already has a head start. This summer we are seeing a wave happening across the country, and King County’s no exception. Here’s the good news: updated vaccines for the 2024-2025 respiratory illness season are starting to arrive in pharmacies and clinics and they’ll soon be widely available. Keeping up to date on vaccinations gives you and your… Read More
Onsite King County flu and COVID-19 clinics
King County is making it easy for employees to get protected by offering multiple onsite flu and COVID shot clinics at County worksites. Getting your flu and COVID-19 shots are an important part of protecting your health, your family’s health, and your community’s health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months and older get a flu shot and COVID-19 shot every year. Flu shots have many important benefits; getting a flu shot can reduce your risk of getting the flu, help protect vulnerable populations, and conserve health care resources…. Read More
Executive Constantine proclaims 2024 National Payroll Week
King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed Sept. 2 through Sept. 6 as National Payroll Week, and recognizes the important role of King County’s payroll professionals. “King County payroll professionals play a key role in maintaining the economic health of the County, in ensuring the economic security of families by carrying out diverse tasks such as processing paychecks, payments to child support, and tax withholding, reporting, and depositing,” Executive Constantine said in the Proclamation. Read the full proclamation here.
Sustainability and support mark a summer of meaningful advocacy for Department of Public Defense interns
Crossposted from For the Defense Cecilia Atkins, a rising 3L student at Michigan Law, chose to spend her summer internship at the King County Department of Public Defense (DPD) largely because of Washington’s unique Rule 9 licensure that allows supervised students to speak on the record. At the start of the 10-week program, she took over a handful of cases from a public defender who rotated into felonies from practicing in Seattle Municipal Court. Although Cecilia had heard from classmates at Michigan who had interned at DPD that she’d have the support… Read More
Morgan Stanley emails and workshops are not associated with King County
Recently, several employees have reported receiving emails from Morgan Stanley Wealth Management regarding workshops for public employees. Please be aware, Morgan Stanley is not associated with King County or any of its employee retirement or financial plans. For security purposes, it is recommended that you do not give out any personal information to anyone you did not first contact, and use caution when using links in an unsolicited email. You can find more information about King County retirement and financial plans and services here: Retirement Deferred Compensation Retirement Education Schedule Balanced You – My… Read More
State retirement plan contributions change Sept. 1, 2024
Employer contribution rates for some of the following retirement plans will change on Sept. 1, 2024, as approved by the State Legislature. The state Pension Funding Council adjusts contribution rates, as needed, to fund the retirement benefits earned by members. You will see the new employer contribution amounts under employer-paid benefits on your paystub beginning Sept. 26, 2024. More information is available on the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) website. If you have any questions about the rate change, please contact DRS at 800-547-6657 or recep@drs.wa.gov.
KCSO attends annual Skyway Health and Safety Fair
Cross-posted from the King County Sheriff’s Office newsletter. Last weekend, the King County Sheriff’s Office took great pride in participating in the Annual Skyway Health and Safety Fair alongside various stakeholders and the local community. This highly anticipated event attracted hundreds of residents from Skyway and nearby areas and was meticulously organized by the dedicated team at Skyway Fire District 20. The day kicked off with a complimentary pancake breakfast hosted by the fire department, setting a warm and inviting tone for the event. Throughout the day, there was a wide range… Read More
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