Executive Constantine statement on Detective wounded in Seattle

"Every day, hundreds of Sheriff’s Office personnel serve our many communities, doing the hard work of keeping us all safe."

King County Executive Dow Constantine issued the following statement regarding the King County Sheriff's Office detective wounded in Ballard on March 20:

"This morning a King County Sheriff’s Office detective was shot in the line of duty in Ballard. He has significant injuries but is in good hands at Harborview Medical Center, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

"He is the second King County officer wounded by gunfire in just over two weeks. Every day, hundreds of Sheriff’s Office personnel serve our many communities, doing the hard work of keeping us all safe. We are grateful for their diligence and courage, and hold these dedicated public servants, their families, friends, and colleagues in our thoughts."

Together, we must do more on climate change 

Cross-posted from Keeping King County Green

The world’s top scientists released their latest report on climate change this week, warning that the Earth is on pace for severe damage. The United Nations climate report is a clear call for more ambitious climate action to prevent the worst effects of climate change. While King County is leading the nation with solutions and has a strong foundation to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions, together we must do more. 

The Department of Natural Resources and Parks is advancing King County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan goal to cut countywide greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of this decade with a variety of programs. Read more and watch the videos here.

Get ready for King County’s new public website coming March 31

On March 31, King County will launch our new public website (kingcounty.gov). Online visitors will see the new King County homepage, and your department’s webpages will also change to a more modern look and feel. The Design and Civic Engagement (DCE) team is working with your department’s Web Content Manager(s) to ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruptions, but you can help:

• Be prepared for customer questions. Your webpages will look different, and customers may need help navigating to popular web content.
• If you have webpages on the current site, work with your department’s Web Content Manager(s) to make any final updates before March 28. Most pages will move to a temporary location. Editing content will be difficult until your department can rebuild your pages in Sitecore 10 – please talk to your Web Content Manager to find out when your new pages are scheduled to go live. Please verify that your department’s Web Content Manager has previewed your pages to ensure they will display correctly and function as expected after March 31. Find your Web Content Manager(s) here. 

Thank you for your patience while we settle into this new and exciting online space! Visit the “KingCounty.gov Refresh” project page to offer feedback or learn more information.

King County Sheriff's Deputy awards athletes in Special Olympics Winter Games

Cross-posted from the Sheriff's Newsletter

Deputy Dylan Centanino-Sweers recently attended the Special Olympics Washington Winter Games in Wenatchee. He was joined by officers from other local jurisdictions.

The Sheriff's Office stated, "We were honored that Deputy Centanino-Sweers was chosen to award athletes who placed in their respective sports. As a former Renton Special Olympics track and field coach, he has continued to work closely with the organization." Read more.

PeopleSoft outage Friday, March 24 at 3 p.m

To allow for system maintenance, the PeopleSoft system will not be available starting on Friday, March 24 at 3 p.m. and is scheduled to be back online by 6:30 a.m. on Monday, March 27.

During this planned outage, the Business Resource Center (BRC) will apply vendor updates and maintenance.

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.

This outage impacts all PeopleSoft users. Your understanding and support is appreciated.

March 30 is the third payday of the month

All King County employees get paid on a biweekly basis, every-other-Thursday, resulting in 26 pay periods per year. You usually receive two paychecks per month; however, March 30 will be the third payday of the month.

The net dollar amount of these “third” paychecks may be larger because not all deductions are taken out. For example, Deferred Compensation, supplemental insurance premiums, Benefit Access Fees, and Employee Giving donations are not deducted from these checks.

For more information about your paycheck, go to Payroll or speak with your department Payroll representative or timekeeper.

WA Cares Fund program update: Mandatory payroll deductions begin July 1, 2023

The WA Cares Fund is a mandatory long-term care insurance benefit established by state law. It can be used to purchase long-term care services, which may include professional care, equipment, home safety evaluations, and/or compensation for family members who provide care. The WA Cares Fund is administered by the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).

Beginning July 1, 2023, all employers in Washington are required to collect the WA Cares Fund premium for the State via mandatory payroll deduction from all employees, unless they have been granted an exemption.

For information about the premium deduction, qualifying for benefits, exemptions, and more, click here. 

Do you have an idea for Employee News?

King County employees and teams are passionate about the work they do for the people they serve, yet a lot of this work is done behind-the-scenes and away from the spotlight.

At Employee News, we want to highlight the great work that employees are doing across departments, branches, and agencies. Do you have an idea for an employee, team, or program that should be highlighted? We want to hear from you!

Email kcemployees@kingcounty.gov and share some details with us, including the program or employee/s, and a person to contact. We email two editions of Employees News each week – every Tuesday and Thursday – to all King County employees, so there are plenty of opportunities to share your news.

Thank you for everything you do for King County and its residents. We look forward to sharing your stories.

Take a Mindfulness class

Meeting Anxiety with Mindfulness: Anxiety is prevalent in our uncertain world. Mindfulness can help us reduce, recover, and explore. This workshop takes four approaches to “meeting” anxiety in a new way. In this inherently personal and experiential workshop, participants will explore mindfulness practices, engage in rich conversations in small groups, and find gentle support in conversation with the teacher.

• Tuesday, March 28 from noon to 2 p.m. Register here.

Growing Healthier Relationships: Take a deep dive into untangling repetitive patterns of reactivity through mindfulness and cultivate a better understanding of yourself and those and others by becoming more aware of emotions and needs. Develop kindness and compassion as you find ways to repair rifts and build connections. 

• Wednesday, March 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. Register here.

Balanced You self-care webinar: A discussion on financial wellness

April is Financial Literacy Month and is the time of year many of us are thinking about how to save more money, plan for vacation, and even retirement planning.

Join Balanced You for a live conversation with financial expert William Wesley from My Secure Advantage (MSA) to learn about strengthening your financial wellness.

• Thursday, April 6 from 1 to 2 p.m. Register here.

King County annual Conference on Substance Use Disorders is May 11

All are invited to join people from across King County including Public Health - Seattle & King County, the King County Recovery Coalition, the King County Council, King County Department of Community and Human Services, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, and recovery peers for King County's Third Annual Conference on Substance Use Disorders. During this conference we will be coming together to better understand how to better meet people where they are on their journey to recovery. Keynote Speaker, Presenter Topics, and more will be announced soon. For more information and to reserve your spot, visit our Eventbrite page or email: Jon.Cantalini@kingcounty.gov

• Thursday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is a hybrid event, being held at Bellevue College and on Zoom. It is free and open to everyone. For more information and reservations, click here. 

Administrative Professionals: A program just for you

Since 2016, the Administrative Professionals Development & Recognition Program has forged pathways for the development and recognition of administrative professionals.   

The group is looking for a few good administrative professionals to share and grow with the Administrative Professional Partners (APP), a fun, engaging, forward thinking group. The APP consists of all classifications of administrative professionals committed to supporting the development and recognition of administrative professionals. The APP facilitates a monthly event, manages the Quarterly Recognition process, the annual Administrative Professionals Recognition Day event in April, and pursues equitable processes and practices. Your time contribution would be minimal and is valued as you assist in advancing King County's Administrative Professionals. 

Watch this video to learn more about the program. If you are interested in becoming an Administrative Professional Partner or have questions, visit the website, or email administrativeprofessionals@kingcounty.gov.

Pet of the Week: Colby

Hi, I'm Colby, a one-year-old male Labrador Retriever/Anatolian Shepherd mix that is looking for a home. I'm a big fella, full of energy, and ready for someone to help me become the best dog I can be. I would probably do best in a home with older children.

You can find out more about me and my friends on our website at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) has moved back to walk-in services. Find out more information about our adoption process on our website. If you have more questions, contact RASKC via phone at 206-296-7387 (PETS) or email pets@kingcounty.gov.