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You are in: Transportation > A Tradition of Performance > KCDOT Director's Office |
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| KCDOT Director’s Office | ||
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Division directors and the deputy director report to the KCDOT director, who in turn, reports to the King County Executive. The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative branch of county government, adopts laws, sets policies, and holds final approval over the KCDOT budget. The Director’s Office works closely with other King County staff, elected officials, government agencies, and stakeholders to improve transportation services throughout the region. In addition to partnering with other agencies in the region to develop transportation solutions, the Director’s Office supports the work of the four major divisions and directly manages the operations of work groups responsible for providing a wide variety of services and programs. The department’s deputy director supervises all office services and activities. Key functions performed by the Director’s Office include:
The Public Affairs section administers the department’s public information program, works with media covering department activities, and develops a variety of materials for distribution to the public. The section also produces in-depth public affairs video programming, and offers photography and public disclosure coordination services. The Community Relations and Communications group handles outreach activities to build partnerships between the department and the public. The section organizes meetings and public hearings; recruits, organizes and facilitates community advisory groups; produces publications and mailings; and manages the department’s website. Additionally, Director’s Office provides leadership, coordination, and support to the divisions in the areas of: human resources; emergency preparedness; governmental relations; information technology; climate change initiatives; plus finance and budget. In 2007, the KCDOT Director’s Office continued to take a leadership role in finding solutions for large-scale transportation challenges throughout the region. Leading new initiatives KCDOT took a lead role with the state and local cities to develop mitigation plans to keep people moving during the future replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the Evergreen Point Bridge on SR 520. This included developing the Lake Washington Urban Partnership with the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Puget Sound Regional Council to develop a mix of transportation demand management strategies to reduce congestion and replace the Evergreen Point Bridge. In 2007, the partnership was successful is securing a large federal grant. The KCDOT Director’s Office and Transit Division worked closely with the King County Ferry District to lay the foundation for a new King County Marine Division to operate water-based King County Department of Transportation 2007 Annual Report 9 transportation services. In 2007, the initial efforts involved: budget development; establishing working relationships with the maritime labor unions; planning an intergovernmental agreement between the ferry district and King County; and contract negotiations with Argosy, the city of Seattle, and the Washington State Ferries to provide service in 2008. KCDOT Human Resources staff focused efforts in 2007 on planning human resources support for both a new KCDOT division to operate King County ferry service and staffing expansion of the rail operations section in the Transit Division. The KCDOT director led several meetings in 2007 with public works directors from local cities and managers of utility agencies to plan storm response activities and coordinate on other regional needs. In 2007 at the request of the Metropolitan King County Council, the Business and Finance section focused on developing the department’s first biennial budget for the Director’s Office and the Transit Division. The group also implemented standardized business planning for the department and divisions, and guided the department through the set-up of new county KingStat performance measures. Climate change activities The Director’s Office led the KCDOT Climate Team, is responsible for reducing KCDOT’s carbon footprint through implementation of King County’s Climate Plan and Energy Plan. In 2007, the department hosted the national “Clean Vehicles Now” conference. The department also led recent studies – HealthScape I & II – that demonstrate the health and economic benefits of transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use development. The Director’s Office staff led the Climate Change Working Group for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), which is developing carbon protocols for transit organizations. And, ORTP staff finalized planning and design for the completion of the Southwest 98th Street pedestrian corridor connecting the White Center business district with the Greenbridge public housing project. Regional partnerships and regional leadership The KCDOT director and staff worked on several major initiatives in 2007 to improve the regional transportation network and give people better and more direct access to travel options. These include:
Generating more than $52 million in grants and federal funding for the department, including funding for the SR 520 corridor as part of a federal Urban Partnership. In the portion of the funding for that project related to tolling, transit, technology and telecommuting, approximately $41 million is for transit initiatives; Planning Transit Oriented Development initiatives at Redmond, Seattle, and Kirkland that encourage transit friendly development and increase transit use; and Coordinating with the Washington State Department of Transportation, Sound Transit, and the city of Seattle, staff from ORTP, Public Affairs, and Transit monitored and responded to the August 2007 closure of Interstate 5 and promoted increased use of transit, rideshare, and water taxi service to manage the congestion. KCDOT’s business continuity depends on the department’s ability to prepare, respond, and recover from all hazards including natural disasters, pandemic disease outbreaks, and terrorism. In 2007, the Director’s Office coordinated department participation in two major regional emergency exercises to test and evaluate response capabilities. It led a multi-county partnership to begin developing a regional evacuation plan in the event of a catastrophic disaster. It coordinated a regional response to winter storms, and also provided continued support for personal preparedness through staff training, fairs, and forums. Strategic communications A strategic communications plan was developed by the Public Affairs and Community Relations sections in 2007 to support specific KCDOT initiatives, programs, and services. The plan identifies and coordinates efforts to raise awareness of the county and KCDOT’s commitment to enhance the mobility of people and goods in King County while protecting the environment, the county’s fiscal integrity, and the health and safety of county residents and employees. KCDOT is involved in plans to replace the Evergreen Point Bridge. 10 King County Department of Transportation 2007 Annual Report Other key communications work included:
Community Relations staff coordinated extensive public outreach in 2007 to update the transportation elements of the King County Comprehensive Plan, and also to develop service and routing options for future RapidRide transit lines; Public Affairs staff represented the department in regional communications efforts regarding the closure of Interstate 5 in August 2007, the opening of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel in September 2007, ongoing planning for electronic transit fare collections, and the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Staff also kept the public continuously informed of transportation impacts during severe fall and winter storms. There are many changes in federal, state, county, and local laws that impact KCDOT, along with layers of new regulations, actions, initiatives, and plans. It is also directly affected by current market conditions influencing the price of fuel and raw materials, employee costs, and tax collections. In 2008 and beyond, the Director’s Office will be working with all the divisions to address funding shortfalls for core transportation services. Budget strategies include: efficient prioritization of investments to meet transportation needs; aggressively seeking federal and state grants to narrow the funding gap; and prioritizing services that benefit both users and taxpayers. The Director’s Office will continue to provide leadership and direction in developing innovative and comprehensive solutions to transportation issues in King County and the region. This includes:
Partnering with the Washington State Department of Transportation and city of Seattle to determine project alignment and structural configuration for the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The Director’s Office will also continue to emphasize transit as a key element during viaduct replacement and advocate for tolling and transit solutions as part of the reconstruction of the Evergreen Point Bridge on SR 520; Launching the King County Marine Division to prepare for year-round operations of the Elliott Bay Water Taxi, assume operation of Vashon-Seattle passenger-only ferry service, and explore other water-transit demonstration projects; Working to secure the inclusion of $11 million in federal funding for Metro Transit’s RapidRide program in the 2009 federal budget, and $10.2 million for several other transportation proposals. ORTP staff will also work with local, regional, and state partners on the reauthorization of federal transportation funding that is scheduled to expire in September 2009; Ongoing work to develop and implement emergency preparedness through plan development, training, improved communications, and regional partnerships; Reducing energy use, emissions, and waste by coordinating program implementation of the Executive’s climate change and energy plan initiatives. This includes analysis of building efficiencies, increased use of renewable fuels or reduction of fossil-fuel consumption, and promotion of energy conservation for King County operations; and Using HealthScape research data, KCDOT will develop and implement mechanisms for planning and delivery of services to county residents. This includes completing the design of modeling tools that will help the county and the region assess the environmental, equity, health-related, and travel impacts of land use and transportation actions in King County. |
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