Get ready for King County’s new public website starting Aug. 21
 On Monday, Aug. 21 King County will begin transitioning our public website (kingcounty.gov) to a new platform. Here’s what you can expect:
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Site visitors may experience brief, intermittent interruptions; these will be resolved by Aug. 23.
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Be prepared for customer questions. Online visitors will see the new King County homepage. Your department’s webpages will also look different, and customers may need help navigating to popular web content.
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If you have content on the current website, work with your departments' Web Content Manager(s) to make any final updates before Aug. 11. Editing content will be difficult until your department can rebuild your pages in the new platform. Also, please verify that your department’s Web Content Manager has previewed your pages to ensure they will display correctly and function as expected after Aug. 23.
The new website design provides a user-centered experience with information that is easier to find, navigate, and understand. The site features a modern design and simplified organization that reflects current best practices. This new design system provides universal templates for consistent experiences across departments and encourages "plain language" content written for 5th-8th grade reading levels. Thank you for your patience while we settle into this new and exciting online space! Visit KingCounty.gov Refresh to learn more.
Kent Division shines during power outage
Crossposted from the DAJD Employee Newsletter
A 15-hour power outage caused big disruptions at the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) last month. Court was cancelled for the day, but shutting down the jail wasn’t an option. Staff worked together throughout the event to ensure a safe environment for everyone in the building. What could have been a disaster ended up merely a nuisance – albeit a long-lasting nuisance that impacted all three shifts. Read more.
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Women in trades: Ivy Schmitz
Crossposted from the Metro Layover Employee Newsletter
Meet Ivy Schmitz. She works as a Utility Laborer in our Transit Facilities Division (TFD). Ivy is one of the 6.2% percent of women who make up the female workforce in the transit trades industry. This industry has traditionally been viewed as a male-dominated field, with women facing educational and training barriers, an unwelcoming workplace culture and environment, and lack of awareness and exposure to the possibility of employment in the trades.
Ivy first joined Metro as a Maintenance Crew member in South Facilities and then moved to North Facilities, where she started her new position as a Utility Laborer and obtained her Commercial Driver License (CDL). Studying for her CDL meant and coming into work an hour before her shift and spending breaks and lunches learning and reviewing material, but Ivy said it’s her proudest accomplishment at Metro so far. Read more.
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2023 King County Recovery Plan highlights equitable recovery for community
Check out the latest Recovery Plan Annual Report to learn more about how King County is investing its federal Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery (CLFR) funds to ensure an equitable recovery for everyone in our community. This annual performance report is required by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and describes the County’s use of over $430 million in CLFR funding. This year's report includes 107 programs that range in focus from homelessness response, public health response, equitable economic recovery, community resiliency, Jobs and Housing, and County operations. Learn more.
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Local Services seeks input on community needs in unincorporated King County
Does your unincorporated community have the services it needs? Do you need more summer camps, food banks, or tutoring services? Complete the Community Needs survey to help plan and prioritize future spending for your neighborhood. Fill out your survey today at https://publicinput.com/CommunityNeeds.
The Community Needs survey is your opportunity to tell us how you want to see funding spent and what services you need to see in your community. Through the Community Needs survey, we ask neighbors what they want and need from their local government to support them as they build strong communities. This feedback helps us create a more effective and efficient program that responds more directly to local priorities and builds everyone’s strengths so that the neighborhoods thrive together. Take the survey.
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Regional Animal Services partners with Home To Home to help people looking to rehome their pets
Needing to find a new home for a beloved pet is sometimes a difficult reality. While Regional Animal Services of King County strives to ensure surrendered pets have the best possible stay at the Pet Adoption Center, shelters are still a stressful place for animals. That's why RASKC has partnered with Home To Home, an online interactive pet placement platform, to help people find new homes for their pets.
Home To Home is easy to use. People needing to rehome a pet can visit kingcounty.gov/HomeToHome to register for the service and post a profile of their animal, including pictures and a brief description. Interested adopters can also visit the website to register and search for a new pet. Once a match is made, the current guardian can share information directly with the potential adopter about the pet. Read more.
Rainier Vista Back to School Bash & Health Fair Aug. 10
King County staff, their family and friends, and other youth and community members are invited to attend this free event (see below and flyer):
- Thursday, Aug. 10, from 4:30 to 7 p.m., 4410 29th Avenue South, Seattle
School supplies for students in K-12 will be distributed to youth present at the event. This year’s event is sponsored by many organizations including King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) and Public Health - Seattle & King County.
Since 2012, DCHS’ Behavioral Health and Recovery Services has contracted with Neighborhood House to support a substance use disorder (SUD) prevention coalition called the SE Seattle P.E.A.C.E. Coalition. Neighborhood House is also one of the event sponsors. With sustained funding and community investments of SUD prevention services, the southeast Seattle community has seen improvements including a decrease in the percentage of students who engaged in risky behaviors.
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Reconnect to Opportunity Back to School Resource Fair, Aug. 17
Employees are invited to participate in the Reconnect to Opportunity Back to School Resource Fair on Aug. 17. This is the fourth annual event where Reconnect to Opportunity will be passing out free materials to opportunity youth such as backpacks, school supplies, food boxes, community resources, and more.
- Thursday, Aug. 17 from 3 to 5 p.m., YouthSource Tukwila parking lot at 645 Andover Park W., Tukwila
Reconnect to Opportunity is a reengagement program that connects young people ages 16-24 to education and employment resources. The program is excited to share community resources and school supplies with families. For more information, view this flyer.
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Balanced You self-care webinars: Discussion on menopause with Dr. Sarah Oman
Earlier this year, Balanced You held a discussion on Women’s Health and Wellness that was a huge success. One of the more popular topics was on perimenopause and menopause. Balanced You welcomes back Dr. Sarah Oman, OBGYN for Kaiser Permanente’s Capitol Hill Team. Dr. Oman will be joining host Karla Clark, Employee Health and Wellness Specialist for a candid discussion about this topic, and Dr. Oman will also be available to answer your questions live during the webinar.
For questions or more information, contact balancedyou@kingcounty.gov.
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Get Movin' with Balanced You upcoming sessions
Get Movin’ with Balanced You virtual movement breaks are back! Balanced You has partnered with Vivecorp to bring you virtual workouts with certified fitness trainers. Get moving with us every other Wednesday via Microsoft Teams.
These 30-minute move breaks are free and virtual so you can tap in from anywhere and benefit from the instruction of a certified trainer. Each session will be different ranging from yoga and stretching to cardio and strength training. Register for an upcoming session below. Registered participants will be emailed a link from Balanced You the day before the event.
Classes are for all levels from beginner to advanced. No special gear is needed, the sessions are all body weight movement. A yoga mat is optional.
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Training Spotlights
Leader Mindset Webinar focuses on team and making “we” a priority, while respecting each individual’s worth. Leading a team starts with understanding yourself and your responsibility to create a team culture of belonging where all employees can thrive. Using engaging activities, small group discussions, and action planning, participants will be able to:
- Describe the connection with KC values and a leader’s role
- Explain how a leader’s mindset impacts employee engagement
- Interpret how to support your team through four universal needs people have of leaders
- Design ways to leverage your own strengths for positive impact on your team
This class is offered every month. The next class is Tuesday, Aug. 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Register here.
Facilitating Effective Meetings – Online: A common challenge faced by individuals in business is how to lead and facilitate meetings that are interesting and solicit active engagement. This two-day training covers the skills used by a facilitator to design and run an effective meeting. How to be a better participant is also discussed. Topics include specific facilitation skills, group decision making skills, and how to deal with disruptive behaviors. This class does not cover use of Zoom or other electronic meeting platforms, but lightly touches on certain aspects of video calls. In this class you will learn how to navigate difficult behaviors and keep meetings on track. Participants will learn how to:
- Identify the characteristics of effective and ineffective meetings
- Define the differences between "talk" and "process" issues
- Name the four primary functions of a facilitator
- Identify three groups of behaviors that occur in meetings
- Describe the differences between democratic and consensus decision making
- Identify what makes an effective agenda
This two-day class takes place on Tuesday Aug. 22 and Wednesday Aug. 23 from 8:30 a.m. to noon, both days. Both days have to be attended to receive completion status. Register here.
Featured Job: Probation Officer
Salary: $39.41 - $50.15 Hourly
Location: Multiple locations in King County, WA
Job Type: Regular, Full time, 40 hrs/week
Job Number: 2023-19673
Department: KCDC - District Court
Opening Date: 8/02/2023
Closing Date: 8/16/2023 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Non-Exempt
King County District Court is seeking applicants for two Probation Officer positions. The Probation Officer is responsible for managing a caseload of misdemeanant offenders and monitoring compliance with probation conditions as directed by the General Administrative Order (GAO), conducting in-depth interviews with misdemeanant offenders, and assessing problem areas which may include alcohol, other drugs, and domestic violence and mental illness issues. Other responsibilities also include, but are not limited to writing pre-sentence reports, sending reports and/or appearing in court to address compliance issues, and regular interaction with Judges. Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
King County Headlines
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Non-Best Starts for Kids Funding Opportunities List – August/September 2023 Deadlines!
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