City Council Committee Agendas

Series

Identifier: 4600-10

Scope and Contents note

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The agendas document the date, time, and topics for meetings of City Council regular and special committees. Committees are organized around core City functions. They hear briefings from City department representatives and consider legislation to be forwarded to the full City Council for vote. Each agenda includes the name of the committee, a list of committee members, staff to the committee, contact information for the committee chair, a brief statement of each agenda item, recommended action the items, and date and time of the meeting. Some agendas include a citation to the audio tape number on which the meeting is recorded; some agendas also have a notation of committee votes on proposed legislation. The agendas can aid in accessing committee records and serve as proof of meeting dates. Full text of agendas from 2002 to the present are available online. Beginning in 2012, paper copies of agendas include space for annotations for meeting length, members present, and vote details.

Dates

Creation: 1964-2013

Creator

Seattle (Wash.). Legislative Dept. (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access note

Records are open to the public.

Historical Note

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The Legislative Department is comprised of the City Council, Office of the City Clerk, and Central Staff (policy analysts and budget support). The City Council is responsible for setting City-wide policy through the adoption of ordinances and resolutions, overseeing the Executive's implementation of policies and programs, and passing the City budget. The first City Charter, in 1869, established a seven-member Common Council. In 1890, the new City Charter created a bicameral legislative branch with a nine-member Board of Aldermen and 16-member House of Delegates. The 1896 Charter returned to a single body of 13 members elected from 11 wards and two at-large. As the number of wards increased, the number of Council members grew to 18 in 1907. A City Charter Amendment in 1910 reduced the number to nine, all elected at large, and made elections non-partisan. In 1946 Councilmember terms were increased from two years to four years. The Office of the City Clerk and the Office of the City Auditor became part of the Legislative Department in 1993. In 1999 the Office of the City Auditor became an independent department.

Full Extent

7.6 Cubic Feet (19 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement note

Chronological

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements note

Full text version available online for agendas from 2002 to the present are availablehere. Digitized agendas prior to 2002 can be found in the SMA Digital Collections.