4.1 The King County Charter Section 320.20 - Powers and Duties, provides that the county executive "shall have the power to assign duties to administrative offices and executive departments which are not specifically assigned by this charter or ordinance ... "
4.2 King County Code Chapter 2.98 - Rules of County Agencies.
4.3 Ordinances No. 2165 (1974) and No. 6531 (1983).
4.4 Executive Policy/Procedure No. INF 7-lA (AEP) - Approval and Routing Procedures for Public Rules and Emergency Rules (PR's).
4.5 Executive Policy/Procedure No. INF 7-lB (AEP) - Approval and Routing Procedures for Executive Orders (AEO's), Executive Policy/Procedure (AEP's), and Emergency Orders
4.6 Executive Policy/Procedure No. INF 7-lC (AEP) - Approval and Routing Procedures For General Administrative Policies and Procedures (AP's)
4.7 Executive Policy/Procedure No. INF 7-lD (AEP) - Approval and Routing Procedures for General Department Policies/Procedures (DP's) and Department Work Procedures (DW's)
4.8 Executive Policy/Procedure No. INF 7-lG (AEP) - Writing King County Public Rules and King County Policies and Procedures
4.9 Executive Policy/Procedure No. INF 7-lH (AEP) - Policy/Procedure Manual/Index System Review and Comment Mailing List
5.1 "Automated Information System User Manuals (DS)" means one type of directive at the Department Policy Level. DS's provide policies and procedures for all computerized information systems from an end-user standpoint.
5.2 "Amend" means to modify a document by adding new language or deleting existing language. For large or comprehensive changes, use "supersede" or "rescind." The Document Code Number does not change for amendments.
5.3 "Department Work Procedures (DW's)" are one type of directive at the department policy level. DW's are intended to provide detailed specific direction for the completion of a task which is usually performed by one person.
5.4 "Document Center" refers to a central location for the collection and reference of all County Policies/Procedures. The document center is located in and managed by the Records Management Section of the Records and Elections Division on the 5th floor of the King County Administration Building.
5.5 "Emergency Orders (AEO's)" are one type of directive at the Administrative policy level. They can be proclamations, declarations, orders, or other formal statements issued by the Executive stating that an emergency situation exists and authorizing extraordinary actions in response to that emergency. As Administrative level policies, they affect most or all Executive Departments.
5.6 "Emergency Rules (PR's)" are those Public Rules and Regulations (PR's) which are adopted without opportunity for public comment in accordance with King County Code 2.98.070. Emergency Rules are effective for ninety days after date of filing with the Clerk of the Council.
5.7 "Executive Orders (AEO's)" are one type of directive at the Administrative policy level. They are formal statements issued by the Executive mainly for the limited purpose of delegation of his authority or responsibility.
5.8 "Executive Policies and Procedures (AEP's)" are one type of directive at the Administrative policy level. They are statements of policy and procedure which have application throughout all or most Executive Departments.
5.9 "General Administrative Policies and Procedures (AP's)" are one type of directive at the Administrative Policy Level. They are intended to provide direction for the management of County government operations. They differ from Executive policies in that they are more detailed and their content tends to be less controversial and more managerial. As Administrative Policies, they affect most or all Executive departments.
5.10 "General Department Policies and Procedures (DP's)" are one type of directive at the Department Policy level. They are intended to provide direction for the internal management of County departments, divisions, and agencies. As department level policies they affect primarily or exclusively single departments.
5.11 "Key Words" means a set of descriptive words, located in Section 1.3 of the Policy Writing Format, which represent key ideas or concepts within the text of each document. Key Words are used as the basis for a cross-index of all King County Policies/Procedures and Rules.
5.12 "Manual Stations" means a system of reference stations which serve each King County department as points of distribution, maintenance, and access to all current King County Policies/Procedures and Rules. All Manual stations will maintain complete copies of Executive and Emergency Orders (AEO's), Executive Policies/Procedures (AEP's), and General Administrative Policies (AP's), as well as their own Department Policies and Procedures (DP's, DW's, and DS's). Manual Stations will also contain at least a summary of all Public Rules. The Document Center in the Records Management Section of Records and Elections Division will contain complete copies of all documents in the Policy/Procedure System. Departments may have more than one Manual Station, especially in the case of large divisions which are physically separated from their department offices.
5.13 "Playscript" is a two-column format for describing procedures. Playscript presents required action steps in chronological order: The left column specifies the person(s) responsible for performing the action; the right column describes the action itself. See INF 7-lG-1, Section 7.2.1, for more detail.
5.14 "Policy Writing Format (PWF)" means the standard format for organizing the written text of all Rules, Policies and Procedures in the King County Policy Manual System, except Executive Orders. The PWF is a nine-part outline designed to insure the inclusion of required information and to present policy/procedures in uniform and usable fashion.
5.15 "Public Rules and Regulations (PR's)," as required by the King County Code, are directives at the level affecting the public and: (1) the violation of which subjects a person outside County employment to a penalty; or (2) which subject a person outside of County employment to a payment of a fee; or (3) which establish, alter, or revoke any procedure, practice, or requirement relating to agency hearings; and/or (4) which establish, alter or revoke any qualifications or standards for the issuance, suspension or revocation of licenses to pursue any commercial activity, trade or profession as may be otherwise defined by King County Code 2.98.020. This shall not apply to rules, penalties or fees set by the County Board of Health pursuant to State Law or fees charged by County agencies pursuant to K.C.C. 2.99.
5.16 "Public Rules Summary Sheets" means the Public Rules Cover Sheet and PWF Sections 1 through 5 of the Public Rule. In the case of Public Rules which are very large and have a limited impact on other departments, Public Rule Summary Sheets are distributed to manual stations instead of the complete document. Complete copies will be maintained by the Clerk of the Council, Records Management Document Center, and the issuing department.
5.17 "Records Classification and Coding System (RCCS)" means the system used to organize and code (number) all documents in the Policy/Procedure Manual System. The RCCS identifies County documents by function; this functional structure is represented by a system of Primary and Secondary Codes. Primary Codes classify information by basic and permanent activities common to all of King County, rather than by separate organizational units such as divisions or departments. Each Secondary Code represents a specific function within its Primary Code classification. Taken as a unit, the Primary and Secondary Codes form the RCCS Code Number used by the Policy/Procedure Manual System. [See INF 15-1 (AP) for a complete list of the Codes.]
5.18 "Rescind" is one of the three "Types of Action" for changing the status of an existing document. Rescind means to revoke or abolish a document without adopting replacement language and without creating a new document. The Document Code Number of a rescinded policy/prodecure is retired permanently.
5.19 "Supersede" is one of the three "Types of Action" for changing the status of an existing document. Supersede means to replace an existing document with a new document. The Document Code Number will reflect that the document was superseded by adding a chronological number to the original code.
5.20 "Type of Action" means Section 1.2 of the Policy Writing Format which specifies whether the document being issued is a new document, or whether it rescinds or supersedes an existing document.
6.1 All of King County's Policies and Procedures, including Public Rules, General Administrative, and Department Policies and Procedures, shall be developed and maintained in a standardized fashion. This uniform system will insure compliance with Federal, State and County laws, avoid the cost of errors due to incomplete or hard-to-find policies, and promote efficiency and effectiveness in government.
6.2 Standardization for all of King County's Policies and Procedures will consist of the following elements:
(1) DOCUMENT LEVELS AND DOCUMENT TYPES designed to insure that policies are distributed only to the persons affected.
(2) INTERNAL DOCUMENT FORMAT to insure ease and effectiveness of reading and writing.
(3) FUNCTIONAL INDEXING based on the RCCS (Records Classification and Coding System) to insure a single method of document organization which is stable and easy to use.
(4) CENTRALIZED MAINTENANCE AND DISTRIBUTION to insure reliable access to current information by all County departments by use of consistent distribution and a centralized point for maintenance.
6.2.1 DOCUMENT LEVELS AND DOCUMENT TYPES:
The separation of policies and procedures into levels and types based on who is affected is intended to accomodate administrative hierarchy and, on a broad level, to insure that the level of procedural detail is appropriate for the level of distribution.
A general description of Document Levels and Types follows:
Level I -- Public Rules and Regulations Affecting Public
Document Type:
(1) Public Rules and Regulations (PR's):
To inform public of certain policies as required by K.C.C. 2.98.
(2) Emergency Rules (PR's):
To inform public of certain policies adopted without opportunity for public comment, in keeping with their emergency nature.
Level II -- Administrative Policies and Procedures Affecting All or Most Executive Departments
Document Type:
(1) Executive Policies/Procedures (AEP's):
To inform Executive Departments of policies and procedures which warrant the special status of being issued by the Executive.
(2) Executive Orders (AEO's):
For formal statements issued by the Executive mainly for delegation of his authority and responsibility.
(3) Emergency Orders (AEO's):
To inform Executive Departments of an existing emergency situation and actions to be taken in response. Issued without normal opportunities for comment.
(4) General Administrative Policies/Procedures (AP's):
To inform Executive Departments of policies and procedures for the direction and management of County functions.
Level III -- Department Policies/Procedures Affecting Mainly Single Departments
Document Type:
(1) Department Policies and Procedures (DP's):
To inform and provide direction for internal operations and management of County departments.
(2) Department Work Procedures (DW's):
To inform individuals within a department of detailed procedures for specific tasks.
(3) Automated Information Systems User Manual (DS):
To document the use of all department computer systems.
6.2.2 INTERNAL DOCUMENT FORMAT:
There are two writing formats for the Policy/Procedure system. One format is for Executive Orders (AEO's) only. The other format, which is used for all other document types, is the PWF or Policy Writing Format. The use of a standard internal format insures that required items of information are included and that certain proven guidelines of effective policy writing are followed.
The Executive Orders format, which is rarely used, is explained in the Executive Policy on Writing King County Public Rules and King County Policies and Procedures, INF 1-7G-1 (AEP), Section 7.3.
The PWF is also explained in detail in INF 7-lG-l (AEP), Section 7.2. A summary of the main sections of the PWF follows:
Section 1.0 - SUBJECT TITLE
Section 2.0 - PURPOSE
Section 3.0 - ORGANIZATIONS AFFECTED
Section 4.0 - REFERENCES
Section 5.0 - DEFINITIONS
Section 6.0 - POLICIES
Section 7.0 - PROCEDURES
Section 8.0 - RESPONSIBILITIES
Section 9.0 - APPENDICES
6.2.3 FUNCTIONAL INDEXING:
In addition to the document type, policies are organized by the function they concern. This grouping is done according to the specified codes set forth in the RCCS (Records Classification Coding System), INF 15-1 (AP). The RCCS provides both a system for finding documents by subject or function and a basis for assigning the Document Code Number.
The RCCS includes 29 primary functions represented by three letter codes and more detailed secondary functions for each primary, represented by numbers. For example, the policy you are reading is coded INF 7-1-1 (AEP):
INF is the Primary Code and stands for Information Management;
7 is the Secondary Code and stands for Directives Management;
1 is the chronological number which identifies the policy as the first one related to directives management;
1 is the number which indicates how many times the policy has been superseded;
AEP stands for document level Executive Policy [See INF 7-lG-1 (AEP), Section 7.4.1b for more information on assigning Document Code Number].
The following is a list of the 29 primary functional codes:
| ACO - Administrative Coordination |
JSC - Judicial - Superior Court |
| ART - Arts Management |
LES - Legislative Management |
| ASM - Assessment Management |
LGL - Legal Management |
| BUD - Budget Management |
LIC - Licensing |
CON - Contracting, Procurement
and Sale Management |
LUD - Land Use/Development
Management |
CPM - Community Program
Management |
PAR - Park Program Management |
| DET - Detention Management |
PAY - Payroll |
| ELE - Election Management |
PER - Personnel Management |
FES - Facility, Equipment and
Supply Management |
PFC - Public Facilities
Management |
| FIN - Financial Management |
PHL - Public Health Management |
| INF - Information Management |
PPR - Public Prosecution
Management |
| IRG - Intergovernmental Relations |
PRE - Public Relations |
| JDC - Judicial - District Court |
PSF - Public Safety Management |
| JJS - Juvenile Justice Services |
PUT - Public Utilities Management |
| |
RPM - Real Property Management |
6.2.4 CENTRALIZED MAINTENANCE AND DISTRIBUTION:
The administration and maintenance of the system will be centralized in the Records Management Section of the Records and Elections Division. Records Management will maintain the policy system design as well as an index for all PR's, AEO's, AEP's, AP's and DP's & DW's, and will distribute to all designated Policy Manual Stations all PR's, AEO's, AEP's and AP's.
Each department will maintain Policy Manual Stations as distribution and maintenance points for all policies distributed by Records Management, in addition to their internal department policies. Departments will designate a Coordinator for each Manual Station, who will be responsible for filing, maintenance, and internal distribution of Department policies.
A Manual Station consists of six three-ring binders, one for each document type, and RCCS functional index tabs for each binder.
8.1 The Records Management Section of the Division of Records and Elections is responsible for:
(A) Maintaining the design for routing, approving and indexing policies and procedures for the King County Policy Manual/Index System.
(B) Maintaining and approving all changes to the index system as codified in the RCCS (Records Classification and Coding System), INF 15-1 (AP).
(C) Maintaining current distribution lists for the County Policy Review and Comment Process.
(D) Maintaining current list of designated Manual Stations for distribution of PR's, AP's, AEO'S and AEP's.
(E) Assigning Document Code Numbers, maintaining an index, and distributing all PR's, AP's, AEO's and AEP's to County Manual Stations.
(F) Maintaining historical copies of AEO'S, AEP's and AP's, DP's and DW's, and current copies of all PR summaries.
(G) Distributing quarterly lists to all manual stations of all existing policies on file.
8.2 All Executive Departments are responsible for:
(A) Writing and maintaining, as outlined in the series of INF 7-1 (AEP) policies, those policies and procedures relevant to their functions.
(B) Distributing within their departments all Department Policies and Work Procedures and sending one copy to the Records Management Section.
(C) Informing the Records Management Section of all changes to the Review and Comment Distribution List and the Manual Station Distribution List.
(D) Maintaining Policy Manual Stations containing all current PR summaries, AEP's, AEO's, AP's and DP's, DW's and DS's.
(E) Maintaining copies of all Department Policies and Work Procedures (DP'S and DW's), including superseded, rescinded and amended directives.
8.3 The Systems Services Division of the Department of Executive Administration is responsible for the following:
(A) Maintaining the design, routing, approval and indexing policies and procedures for the Department Automated Information System User's Manuals (DS).
(B) Maintaining historical copies of all King County DS's.
8.4 The Clerk of the Council is responsible for the following:
(A) Maintaining historical copies of all Public Rules.
(B) Sending one copy of all Public Rules to the Records Management Section.
