City Council Work Programs

Series — Box: 1

Identifier: 4603-03

Scope and Contents note

The Work Program is a document that contains a listing of significant issues and projects that the City Council expects to review or act upon during a given year. Also included are issues or projects that require significant monitoring by the Council. The purpose of the Work Program is to identify and balance the workload of the Council, its staff, and the Legislative Department Central Staff analysts. Work Programs are organized by Council committee structure and include work item and the date by quarter of the year that the item is due to the Council. In 1993, a notation related to primary staffing--whether the committee chair's staff or the central staff was the lead--was added to the Programs. In 1999, the number of work days estimated for Central Staff involvement in work items was added, and in 2004 the names of the Central Staff members assigned to a work item were added. Arranged chronologically.

Dates

Creation: 1976-2008

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.