Budget impacts - Dec. 28, 2011 message from the Road Services Division Director

Dear Road Services Division Employees,

As I reflect over the last year as your Division Director, I am impressed and grateful for your professionalism and hard work. Heading into 2012, the Roads Leadership Team has been identifying factors that are most likely to influence the division's future and defining the repurposing of the supervisor/management positions in response to the Council budget proviso. The following is an update on the repurposed positions, layoff placements and vacancies:

1. We have rescinded five layoff notices; a Truck Driver, two Utility Workers, an Equipment Operator and a Sign and Marking Technician and created two PPMIII positions that will be assigned to the Administration Section and the Engineering Services Section. This was done through a series of transactions aimed at creating more front-line services positions.
   
   
2. I am pleased to let you know that of the remaining 29 Road's Division employees affected by the end of year layoff process, 18 have been placed into new positions. At this point, 5 employees are still actively involved in the bumping process, and we expect they will be placed into new positions early in 2012. Career Support Services (CSS) program staff, the Road’s HR team and the management team continues to work with those who have not been placed to find positions for them as quickly as possible.
   
   
3. In early 2012, I will make decisions to fill the Deputy Division Director, Assistant Maintenance Manager/Traffic Engineer, PPM IV in Maintenance, and an Engineer III in SPPARO. In the meantime I am pleased that, Doug Hodson will continue to serve as Acting Deputy Director, Mark Mitchell will be acting as Traffic Engineer and Joann Kosai-Eng will be acting as Assistant Maintenance and Operations Manager.

With the new organization taking effect in 2012, there have been many questions about how new reporting structures will work. Your section managers and supervisors will be continuing to work with you on the arrangements. I understand there is some anxiety over these changes. I will ask managers and supervisors to double their efforts to provide opportunities to ask questions as well as to share thoughts and concerns regarding the new organization. If you have an outstanding question, all you need to do is ask – send me or one of the other managers an email, call us on the phone, come by in person to talk or consider asking HR staff for assistance. Whatever the case, I am committed to getting you the information you need to be successful in your position.

Some good news came recently as the Governor's Connecting Washington Task Force met for the final time and came up with a recommendation for future transportation funding. The recommendation includes proposed new revenue for the state and also new local option revenue sources for county and city road maintenance and preservation. A draft report with details of the recommendation to the Governor will be finalized by the end of this month. Our division was actively involved in the effort to push for these new funding sources and I remain hopeful that the Governor and Legislature will proceed upon the recommendation and take action in 2012.

As 2011 comes to a close, I want to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and dedication to providing road services to the citizens of King County. It has been a year full of changes and challenges. Yet despite all of this you continue to deliver critical maintenance and operation services and the largest capital program in the Road Services Division's history.

I wish you all a happy new year.

Respectfully,

Paulette Norman, P.E.
Division Director
County Road Engineer
King County Road Services Division