King County and Our Residents Lead on Climate
Dear Neighbor,
Climate change is one of the top environmental and economic challenges of our time and our collective action–or in action–will have deeply felt impacts.
A report issued last month by a U.N. Panel on climate change warned that if we don’t begin making big changes, our planet will likely pass a critical warming level in the next decade. News like this can often feel too big to tackle individually – and that’s because it is. To combat climate change, many governments, corporations, and people will need to act. Here at King County, we haven’t waited for others to act.
King County has long been a national and international leader in the fight against climate change. Our landmark work to pass and implement the 2015 Strategic Climate Action Plan and 2020 update advanced Metro bus electrification, energy efficiency and building conversion, and green jobs initiatives. Many of these actions have only been possible through partnerships – with local governments, utilities, and passionate residents.
There are lots of ways that individuals can continue to help with King County’s climate work. Every action we can take to help rebuild habitats, reduce waste, buy locally, and plant trees has a positive impact on our overall ecosystem and climate.
With news this past month about the increasingly dire ongoing impacts of climate change, it can sometimes be hard to know where to start, but King County and our residents will continue to lead where others are not.
New Customer Service Center Now Open!
On April 20th, King County opened its new Customer Service Center to the public. The center, located on the second floor of King Street Center in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood, is designed to be a "one-stop shop" for many of the most-requested services offered by King County.
Residents will be able to access several highly requested in-person services across a number of the county’s agencies, including:
- Property tax payments
- Taxpayer assistance and exemptions
- Vital Records (birth and death certificates)
- Vehicle and vessel licensing
- Marriage licensing
- Document recording
- Taxi, TNC, and for-hire driver permits
- Pet licensing
- Public records requests
- Claims
The new service hub at King Street Center, located at 201 S. Jackson Street, is easily accessible by transit, with several bus routes and a Link Light Rail station nearby. Regular business hours for the Customer Service Center will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, though individual agencies may occasionally have adjusted hours. Visit kingcounty.gov/CSC for additional information.
Need Help Planning Your Next Ride? Metro Has You Covered!
Last Week, King County Metro retired its automated Twitter account @kcmetroalerts, one of their less frequently used customer service tools. King County Metro will continue to post on @KingCountyMetro, their general news Twitter account. The same information will still be available through other trip planning tools.
Metro staff are dedicated to helping riders plan their trips and get where they need to go. Riders can use the trip planning resources below to plan their next trip, including reaching out to Metro directly.
Helpful tips and tools
- Plan your travel with Bing Maps or Google Maps (using “Transit” mode), an app such as One Bus Away, TripPlanner.kingcounty.gov or the “Schedules and maps” webpage.
- Sign up for “Transit Alerts” via email or text. You can pick your favorite routes or request systemwide updates.
- Check out Metro’s “Service Advisories” webpage for temporary service revisions. (This is the identical information simultaneously posted to @kcmetroalerts prior to the change.)
- Text your bus stop number to 62550 to see which buses are headed your way and their estimated arrival times. (Learn more about Text for Departures.)
- Call our Customer Service Office at 206-553-3000. We offer trip planning help on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Visit our Pass Sales Office at 201 S. Jackson Street. The office is open on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
As always, I value your thoughts, ideas, and input. Please feel welcome to contact me via email at Dave.Upthegrove@kingcounty.gov.
You can watch Council meetings via livestream on the Council's website or on KCTV channel 22. We take general public comment on the 4th Tuesday of every month.
To learn more about testifying before Council go to: https://www.kingcounty.gov/council/committees/full_council.aspx
Sincerely,
Dave Upthegrove
King County Councilmember
District 5
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