Department Efficiency Committee Documents

Series

Identifier: 1802-C8

Staff Only

Scope and Contents note

In 1911, City Council directed departments to report back regarding ways of reducing costs of operation and maintenance. By 1912 a City Council Committee was formed for ongoing investigation of efficiency in City departments. Initially called the Department Efficiency Committee, the name was changed to the Departmental Efficiency Committee in 1948, and was combined with Personnel in 1948. Its last year in existence was 1967. In addition to assessing efficiencies in departments, the Committee also investigated unlawful practices, especially relating to contracts, unnecessary expenses, and practices contrary to the public good. Committee records include correspondence and reports to and by the committee. Departmental reports to City Council date primarily from 1911 to 1913. Reports from 1917 on all departments in the City by efficiency engineers from the Emerson Company of New York City are also included. In addition, the committee reported on vice and corruption in city government. Transcripts of hearings from 1932 and 1941 are included regarding appointment of the Police Chief and of superintendents for the Water and Streets and Sewers Departments. Correspondence from department heads, the mayor, and others is also part of the series.

Dates

Creation: 1910-1947

Creator

Seattle (Wash.). City Clerk (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access note

Records are open to the public.

Historical Note

The City Clerk maintains the City's legislative records, official filings, and the Seattle Municipal Archives; keeps the minutes of City Council meetings; and provides information services to City agencies and the public. Seattle's first City Charter allowed for a Clerk of the Common Council to be elected by the Council. In 1875 the position of City Clerk became elective and remained so until 1896 when the new Charter designated the Comptroller ex-officio City Clerk. The Comptroller served as City Clerk through 1992. A 1991 City Charter amendment transferred the Comptroller's function to the Department of Finance and the City Clerk's Office became a division of the Legislative Department effective in 1993.

Extent

1.2 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

General Note

A Comptroller or Clerk File (CF) can consist of correspondence, reports, petitions, contracts, agreements, etc. from elected officials, City departments, other government agencies, or the general public, which have been placed on file with the Office of the City Clerk (OCC). They are primarily permanent records, but also include routine material which was periodically purged. Certain archival records identified in the CF have been removed, arranged into records series, and incorporated into the collection of the Seattle Municipal Archives, a program of the OCC.