Recent Executive Office press releases

An inmate in the custody of the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention died the morning of Aug. 20 at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle. The person, an adult male, was booked into the facility on Aug. 18.  Learn more...

More than 5,700 children in King County are now receiving publicly-funded health coverage, with most already having seen a doctor and dentist, thanks to the three year old King County Child Health Initiative (CHI) effort. The successes are part of numerous highlights outlined in the 2009 King County Children’s Health Initiative (CHI) Annual Measurement and Evaluation Report that King County Executive Kurt Triplett transmitted to the Metropolitan King County Council today.  Learn more...

Evidence is growing that King County’s Health Reform Initiative appears to be reducing the county’s health care benefit costs. The latest report on the initiative is part of a mounting body of evidence nationally that employee wellness programs in the public and private sector do control costs and improve employee health.  Learn more...

King County Executive Kurt Triplett today announced a proposal to zero-out funding for parks from the General Fund in 2010 by mothballing 39 parks in urban unincorporated areas. The move would save $4.6 million if approved by council and is one more way to cover a $56.4 million shortfall in projected tax revenues needed to maintain 2009 service levels.  Learn more...

Smart urban growth development is linked with rural land protection under a visionary partnership agreement between the City of Bellevue and King County that County Executive Kurt Triplett transmitted to the King County Council today for approval.   Learn more...

King County Executive Kurt Triplett today announced plans to cut $16.6 million in overhead, administrative and general government services in his 2010 budget proposal, including cuts to the offices of the Executive, budget and strategic planning. Triplet said his budget will give priority to direct services to residents as the global economic crisis continues to cause a steep drop in sale tax revenues and a $50 million shortfall in money needed to fund current levels of county services.  Learn more...

If you live in King County, your input is needed! King County government is asking residents what they would like the County to focus its resources on in the future and to help develop a plan for how the County can better serve the community. It is part of an outreach effort for the Countywide Strategic Plan, which will reflect the priorities of its residents and help guide the County's decision making and budgeting over the next five years. This is especially important now, as the County faces budget deficits and a shortage of dollars available for existing services.  Learn more...

Action 1 – Deferred bus service expansion by first scaling back growth with the exception of the RapidRide program and already-approved Service Partnership agreements. The revenue gap assumes growth in bus service, primarily associated with the implementation of Transit Now. Delaying that expansion closes the gap. This effectively leverages funding from other agencies and saves $36 million over the next four years.  Learn more...

King County Executive Kurt Triplett has proposed fixes for the Metro budget shortfall that preserve critical services and shares the impacts of service cuts throughout the region. In order to save critical existing Metro Transit service, this comprehensive financial plan addresses the transit budget deficit over a 4-year period by combining the use of reserves with fare increases, deferred expansion, efficiencies and, unfortunately, service reductions.  Learn more...

King County Executive Kurt Triplett today proposed saving five planned new RapidRide routes in Metro Transit’s highest ridership corridors and providing for an additional one-million new passenger trips a year on the 520 bridge at no net increase in taxes. His proposal would use 5.5 cents of new taxing authority granted by the 2009 legislature, but would be offset by rolling back an equal amount in two other levies.  Learn more...

An updated report shows King County’s efforts to secure American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) federal stimulus grants for county programs is paying dividends in regional jobs created or retained and critical projects being funded. According to the June progress report, to date the county has been awarded 10 ARRA grants totaling $79,616,551 for county programs or projects. The federal money represents an estimated total of 193 jobs created or retained.  Learn more...

As the national recession and cuts in state and federal funding to counties continues to undermine King County’s budget, County Executive Kurt Triplett today proposed a one-tenth of a cent sales tax dedicated to help fund public health, criminal justice and human services. The Executive says the Healthy, Safe and Strong Communities tax will give residents an alternative to the deep cuts he would need to make to balance the county’s 2010 budget.   Learn more...

Representatives of the six recognized King County Unincorporated Area Councils (UACs) and residents of the unincorporated areas are invited to attend an annual forum jointly hosted by King County Executive Kurt Triplett and the Four Creeks Unincorporated Area Council. Executive Triplett will be joined by King County department directors and will be available to talk with residents and members of the UACs as they discuss critical issues facing their communities.  Learn more...

All of the services of the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES) in Renton will be closed for the rest of the day due to a power outage.  Learn more...

King County is hosting a delegation of emergency officials from Fargo, North Dakota, who are sharing lessons learned from their response to the historic flooding of the Red River last winter with local emergency managers and elected leaders.  Learn more...

An adult male inmate in the custody of the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention died early this morning, July 3, 2009. The inmate was found at 2:26 a.m. by staff during a routine security check.   Learn more...

On Monday, July 6, 2009, most King County staff will be on unpaid leave and most county buildings will be closed as the county takes the sixth of 10 furlough days in 2009 to cut operational costs countywide. All department employees, with limited exceptions, such as those in public safety functions, are included in the furlough plan.   Learn more...

King County residents are invited to share their thoughts to help the county create a strategic plan that consolidates the strategic plans of departments and agencies. King County will collect residents’ ideas and opinions this summer through surveys, public meetings and online feedback.  Learn more...

People in King County are driving less and using less gas, promising trends that could provide long-term benefits for our environment, according to according to the latest Environment Benchmark report by King County, which provides a comprehensive look at environmental trends in King County.  Learn more...

Hundreds of local and regional jobs will be created or continued in King County as a result of federal stimulus grant money coming to the county. A new report from King County Executive Kurt Triplett outlines 39 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funding grants King County applied for earlier this year.   Learn more...

King County appreciates the effort by the Auditor to help the County improve its operations and maximize value to the taxpayer. However, the County respectfully disagrees with many statements in the audit and is disappointed that the auditor's office did not include all of the county's responses to statements in the published report. The following includes the county's response to statements and some findings in the audit.  Learn more...

On Friday, June 19, 2009, most King County staff will be on unpaid leave and most county buildings will be closed as the county takes the fifth of 10 furlough days in 2009 to cut operational costs countywide. All department employees, with limited exceptions, such as those in public safety functions, are included in the furlough plan.  Learn more...

King County is preparing to offer a multi-year extension of contracts with the 36 cities it provides jail services to after a new analysis shows a decline in jail use. The new analysis of jail bed use seems to indicate a trend where construction of new jail space can be slowed, allowing the cities and county more time to explore how best to meet future needs.   Learn more...

An inmate in the custody of the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention died early this morning, June 4, 2009, at Harborview Medical Center. The person, an adult male, was booked into the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) on June 1, and was transferred to Harborview on June 2, where he remained until his death.  Learn more...

More than three-quarters of a million in public health services and nearly a half million in human services that are in the figurative budget lifeboat will disappear July 1, 2009 because King County does not have enough money to sustain the services. But, using new funding tools granted by the legislature this spring, Executive Kurt Triplett is transmitting a $2.8 million 2009 supplemental budget today that gives six more months of funding for pandemic flu-related health services, unfunded mandates, some homeless services and a two-month reprieve for the Evergreen Pool in White Center.  Learn more...

King County Executive Ron Sims has been sworn in as Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, DC and officially resigned his position as Executive. By Executive Order, the delegated line of succession establishes Sims’ Chief of Staff Kurt Triplett as Interim County Executive with all of the powers and duties of the office.   Learn more...

Finding and keeping affordable housing is becoming more difficult for the King County residents with the fewest economic options, such as low income households. Many of them are also paying more than they can afford to keep a roof over their head, according to the new King County Benchmarks Affordable Housing Bulletin released this week. Updated with two years of new data, the bulletin is part of the county's 11th annual report on progress in implementing countywide planning policies.  Learn more...

March snow and ice gave King County’s new blog a good test run over the weekend as Metro Transit started using the KCNews blog and the existing KCNews Twitter feed to improve communication with its riders and the media.  Learn more...

Building on the innovative principles of its groundbreaking health reform initiative, King County labor and management leaders have approved a new three-year agreement on a health care plan for the county’s employees and their families.  Learn more...

Some King County Metro Transit buses continue to run late this morning due to operating with chains and widespread traffic congestion. Also, some buses are very full and are not able to stop to pick up more passengers at some stops.  Learn more...

The City of Seattle and King County have been awarded $19,683,354 in federal McKinney Homeless Assistance funds for housing programs and support services for homeless people. The award was announced today by King County Executive Ron Sims and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, following the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announcement of $1.6 billion awarded nationwide.  Learn more...

The Metropolitan King County Council has unanimously confirmed Executive Ron Sims’ appointee Kathleen Van Olst as the new director of the county’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD).  Learn more...

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King County Executive Ron Sims is proposing incentive-based regulations that provide a safe harbor from litigation for developers who reduce greenhouse gases associated with their projects. Developers who reduce carbon emissions by 15 percent of what they would generate by complying with current codes would be designated as "in compliance" with environmental standards under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The change could help reduce the impacts of global warming for this region.  Learn more...

King County Executive Ron Sims will be joined by leaders in the environmental and development community for an announcement.  Learn more...

Executive Ron Sims is pleased to inform citizens of King County that President Barack Obama has declared a federal disaster for the January severe winter storm incident that impacted King County.  Learn more...