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Was your property damaged because of the windstorm?
Crossposted from KC Emergency News Report Damage King County Emergency Management wants to know if last week’s windstorm caused you any damages. This information may help Washington request disaster assistance from the state and federal government. If your primary residence or business was damaged by the weather, we’d like to hear from you. Here is the link to report your damages. Property Tax Relief If your property (private and business) has been damaged in this storm, you may qualify for property tax relief. For more information on how to apply, go to Destroyed property… Read More
Happy Thanksgiving to all our employees, their families, and the community
During this national time of thanksgiving, we would like to say how thankful we are for our employees and their dedication to making King County a welcoming community and a great place to live. Your work supporting and serving the 2.27 million people in our region does not go unnoticed. It is you, our employees, who move us forward, make an impact in people’s lives, and deepen our impact on the community. We give a special shout out to the employees who continue to serve King County over the Thanksgiving holiday – bus… Read More
Government records reveal stories of accessibility advocacy
Crossposted from DES Express King County Archives is excited to announce its new online exhibit that sheds light on an aspect of our local history: the development of disability rights and services in King County government. Thanks to funds received from the Washington Digital Heritage Grant, the Archives staff have digitized more than 400 items to bring these important stories to the forefront. The exhibit, Accessibility, Centered: A History of Disability Services in King County, highlights the efforts of disability advocates and showcases important milestones, including the first Washington State Special Olympics in the 1970s,… Read More
Larry Gossett Service Award nominations are now open
The 2025 Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration will be held Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Community members and King County employees are invited to join in honoring our nation’s foremost human rights leader and King County’s namesake. As part of the celebration, the Larry Gossett Service Award nominations are now open. The award recognizes and affirms an individual or organization that has made significant contributions in the areas of racial equity, social justice, and/or human rights in King County. For more information about the award nominations, click here.
Administrative professional recognitions now available for July through September
The Administrative Professionals Program is excited to announce the Administrative Professional Recognitions for the third quarter of 2024, from July through September. These 18 individuals have been recognized for their excellence as administrative professionals at King County. View the recognitions here. The list includes: Alaina Emde, Alicia Warren, Amanda Knell, Carlos Bratcher, Cindy Hachtel, Danielle Hursh, Elizabeth Fong, Ithica Nolan-Williams, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Kristine Hanson, Laila McClinton, Lauren Olson, Marni Donnelly, My Huynh, Roger Bruckshen, Sam Wick, Sara Stefano, and Valerie Garza Thank you to the Administrative Specialists, Executive Assistants, Customer Service Specialists,… Read More
King County Metro Vehicle Maintenance celebrates ‘superhero’ as Employee of the Year
Crossposted from Metro Matters Chris Blandi is the Clark Kent of King County Metro’s Vehicle Maintenance: Quiet and unassuming, but a genuine Superman under his modest exterior, able to juggle multiple jobs keeping King County Metro’s bus fleet rolling while remaining cool and unruffled. His excellence as a mechanic was celebrated Monday when he was named Vehicle Maintenance Employee of the Year. Blandi, selected by his fellow vehicle maintenance team members for the honor, was lauded at a celebration at Metro’s Central Base. Read more.
General Wage Increase/Cost of Living Adjustment for 2025
Effective Jan. 1, 2025, a combined General Wage Increase (GWI) and Cost-Of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) of 5.5 percent will apply for employees represented by the King County Coalition of Unions and non-represented employees. Employees will start to see the increase on their paychecks after Jan. 1, 2025. You can find the 2025 Wage Tables here. Represented employees whose unions are not part of the Coalition of Unions should reach out to their union representatives for questions about their applicable increase. You can also review your union’s contract any time on this website. You can also reach out to… Read More
Executive Constantine on adoption of $10.2 billion 2025 King County budget – Investing in our values
King County Executive Dow Constantine issued the following statement after the County Council unanimously approved the $10.2 billion budget for 2025, which includes significant investments in housing, health, safety, transportation, climate, and the environment. “This budget reflects King County’s values by directing investments toward our environment, shared prosperity, and support for those furthest from opportunity, access, and justice — building a welcoming community where every person can thrive. I want to extend my gratitude to the King County Council for their dedication in passing this budget for 2025, with special thanks to… Read More
Fleet Services upgrades Motor Pool Dispatch technology
Crossposted from the DES Express The Fleet Services team successfully completed the Motor Pool Dispatch Technology project in October. The project transitioned all Motor Pool Dispatch program vehicles from the previous Invers/CocoSoft reservation system to the new, modern, app-based WeGo technology. Users can expect a simplified reservation interface, keyless entry, and an overall smoother customer experience. “This project was over a year’s long effort,” said Andrew Cronholm, Deputy Director of Fleet Services. “Strong collaboration across all sections in the Fleet Services Team as well as KCIT made it possible. Kudos to those… Read More
Changes to FMD ID Access Office operations
As part of the ongoing Space Consolidation Project the FMD ID Access Office will be relocating from the Administration Building to the Chinook Building in late November. The ID Access Office will have limited availability during the move period as the team transitions to its new location. Important dates: Nov. 25 to 29 – ID Access Office closed for in-person services. Dec. 2 to 6 – ID Access open for limited appointments in Chinook. Please contact FMDIDAccess@kingcounty.gov for any badge or access related needs. In addition to preparing to relocate, for the… Read More
New class of JDOs graduates from the State Academy
Crossposted from the DAJD newsletter Five King County Juvenile Detention Officers graduated from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission in Burien on Oct. 31. Read more.
Be prepared for windy weather
Strong wind gusts are forecasted in our region this afternoon through Wednesday morning, so please be prepared for potential outages. Here are helpful emergency preparedness resources: How to prepare for a power outage Carbon Monoxide Prevention Emergency Preparedness Make It Through Take Winter By Storm Winter Safety Power outages: If you are teleworking and experience a power outage that affects your ability to effectively work remotely, please contact your supervisor to discuss other options for completing work tasks. These may include taking leave or working from your regular King County worksite. If you… Read More
PeopleSoft HCM outage notice, Nov. 16 – 17
To allow for system maintenance, the PeopleSoft system will not be available the weekend of Nov. 16 through Nov. 17. During this planned outage, the Business Resource Center (BRC) will apply vendor updates and maintenance. This work will begin on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 6 a.m. and is scheduled to be completed by 6:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 18. The system will not be available for access by any County staff during this outage window. There will be a communication sent out to all County staff when the system becomes available. We… Read More
You can donate your vacation time to a cause that you care about through the Annual Giving Drive
Did you know that you can donate your accrued vacation leave to nonprofits? Most King County employees have the unique opportunity to donate accrued vacation and/or eligible comp time to three nonprofits of your choice in the EGP. If you do not plan on taking some of your accrued vacation leave, or you have excess leave that cannot be carried into the next year, this is a great option. Employees may give a minimum of 4 hours, maximum of 40 hours, unless you are in a use it or lose it position,… Read More
DAJD recruiters push hiring to record levels in October
Crossposted from the DAJD newsletter The DAJD Recruitment team has continued to power forward, fill vacancies, and break records. After finishing 2023 with a new record of adding 77 Corrections Officers and 31 new Juvenile Detention Officers in just one year, the team elected to push into 2024 with a goal of breaking the records again. By late October, the team has already hired 93 Corrections Officers and 28 Juvenile Detention Officers with two months remaining in 2024. The team has so far brought 143 new staff into DAJD. This includes backfilling… Read More
Wellness Hero Carmen Johnson
Balanced You Wellness Heroes highlights employees doing things to better their lives, the lives of their colleagues, and our community. Meet Wellness Hero Carmen Johnson, King County Retirement Navigator. In this video Carmen talks about how her role helps employees on the road to retirement, the importance of educating and planning for retirement, the million-dollar questions of when you should start planning for retirement (hint: it’s never too early), a variety of resources and classes offered for King County employees, and more. Check out the video of Carmen below!
Complete Open Enrollment by midnight tonight
If you haven’t already completed Open Enrollment, be sure to go to PeopleSoft and finish up before midnight tonight, Friday, Nov. 15. Don’t miss your opportunity to put the right benefit options in place for you and your family next year. For information about your benefit choices, go to the Open Enrollment website and see the 2025 Key Benefit Changes. If you don’t participate in Open Enrollment, your current benefit plan elections will remain the same for next year except your Flexible Spending Accounts and your Benefit Access Fee exemption if you cover a spouse on your medical plan—these… Read More
Records Management reminder: Everything in Outlook needs to be managed, including Sent and Deleted Items!
When employees begin managing their emails, they often start with their Inbox. That’s a great place to start, but it is important to remember that all messages in your Outlook account (including Inbox, all subfolders, Sent Items and even Deleted Items) must be managed. These emails are all potentially discoverable, even if they’re in your Deleted Items. A few simple tips for managing email include: Keep your folder structure as simple as possible Periodically delete transitory emails instead of retaining them Periodically empty your Deleted Items folder For more information, visit the county’s Records Management Program website or contact them at records.management@kingcounty.gov. The Records Management Program, in… Read More
There’s two weeks left to be part of the Annual Giving Drive, join us today!
The Annual Giving Drive is a fun time of the year, so the Employee Giving Program team made a video to a trending tune that just may go viral. Check out the video below and pledge today. Read more. Pledge or renew here by Nov. 22.
New analysts bring expertise to DAJD
Crossposted from the DAJD Newsletter The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) has welcomed three analysts in recent months to help support operations across different divisions. Sara Tollefson, PPM III, is helping DAJD develop methods to track metrics that show the department’s progress in key areas. Miae Aramori, PPM IV, will lead the Juvenile Division’s efforts to gather statistics and research that reveal trends and outcomes in the juvenile justice system. Robin Gold, a Senior Business Analyst, will focus on creating data reports and dashboards in Power BI. Read more.
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