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Apr
18

Department of Local Services begins operations

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King County Local Services

Department of Local Services begins operations

Summary

The 250,000 residents and businesses of the unincorporated area now have their own department dedicated to meeting their unique and diverse needs.

Story

The second we rang in 2019, the Department of Local Services officially became a standalone department. It comes after nearly a year’s worth of planning and following the Metropolitan King County Council unanimously approving Executive Dow Constantine’s proposal to establish the department.

While King County has always delivered critical services to residents and businesses of the unincorporated areas – who combined would account for the second-largest city in Washington – Local Services now serves as a “virtual city hall” that helps better coordinate and deliver those services.

The department consists of three divisions/programs that are familiar to the unincorporated areas:

  • Permitting Division for development permit reviews, code enforcement and subarea planning
  • Road Services Division responsible for 1,500 miles of county road and 182 bridges
  • Community Service Areas program

Contact us

There are several ways for residents and business to connect with Local Services:

The divisions will continue to operate out of their existing locations (Permitting is located at 35030 SE Douglas Street, Suite 210 in Snoqualmie; Road Services and the Community Service Area program are located at 201 S. Jackson St. in Seattle).

Residents with Permitting or Roads-specific questions can contact them directly:

Leadership

Led by Director John Taylor, the 500-employee department will now focus solely on serving and communicating with the unincorporated areas.

Taylor previously served as an assistant division director at the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. He was instrumental in coordinating a landmark agreement signed last year by Executive Constantine that will simultaneously restore salmon habitat, strengthen the region’s agricultural economy, and reduce flood risks in the Snoqualmie Valley.

“King County has dedicated, hard-working employees who deliver high-quality service to the people of King County every day,” Taylor said. “The Department of Local Services will help better coordinate those services within the unincorporated part of King County, giving residents in those areas a way to see service delivery levels in their community and influence how services are delivered.”

Following his appointment, Taylor announced his leadership team:

  • Danielle de Clercq, Interim Deputy Director. Danielle is new to King County but brings with her a 30-year career in operations, management, business development, and consulting in the private and nonprofit sectors.
  • Cheryl Binetti, Chief of Staff in the Department of Local Services Director’s Office. Over the past 12 years, Cheryl has served a variety of roles in the King County Department of Transportation, and most recently served as the Local Services Initiative Project Manager, playing a key role in the development of the new department. As chief of staff, she will ensure that Local Services employees have the support and clarity for timely and accurate delivery of services, projects, and programs, and to grow and develop in their careers.
  • Jim Chan, Director of the Permitting Division. Jim has served as the Interim Director of the Department of Planning and Environmental Review since November 2017. He began his career with King County as a summer intern in 1989. After graduating from the University of Washington, he was hired on as a staff engineer in 1991 and progressed through the ranks to his appointment as interim director of the former department.
  • Rick Brater, Director of the Road Services Division. Rick has served in his current position on an interim basis since October. Before that he served as the King County Road Engineer and as the Engineering Services Section Manager, and managed nearly $900 million worth of road infrastructure projects—including the South Park Bridge replacement.
  • Bill Greene, Chief Financial Officer. Bill served as the King County Department of Transportation Chief Financial Officer from 2007 to 2010, and then returned to the role in 2013 after serving with the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. His phone number is 206-477-3820.
  • Mary Louis, Human Resource Manager. Mary has been on loan to the Department of Transportation as an HR Projects Manager since August 2018. Before that she served as HR Manager for the Department of Public Defense (January 2017-August 2018).

Relevant links

Contact

Brent Champaco
King County Local Services
206-477-9094

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