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Seattle Municipal Archives Finding Aids

Audiotapes

 Subject
Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings

Found in 57 Collections and/or Records:

Assessed Valuations

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1802-A4
Scope and Contents note

Reports of assessed valuations and tax rates for cities, towns, and special taxing districts in King County; and certificates of assessed valuations for the City of Seattle.

Dates: 1902-1984

Auditing Committee Minutes

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1800-04
Scope and Contents note

Proceedings and supporting documents of committee that reviews and recommends disposition of payroll and voucher claims and demands. Recommendations are made to City Council. There is a gap in the minutes between 1916 and 1921.

Dates: 1890-1993

Certificates of Nomination

 Series
Identifier: 1802-B1
Scope and Contents note

Certificates identifying candidates nominated to run in city elections. Elections up through 1910 were partisan and certificates were filed by political parties. Following a charter amendment in 1910, all municipal elections were non-partisan.

Dates: 1896-1924

Chauncey W. Ferris Correspondence

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 1800-08
Scope and Contents note

Correspondence of Chauncey W. Ferris, the first Comptroller of Seattle. Also includes correspondence from Ferris' tenure as City Clerk (1889-1890).

Dates: 1889-1892

City Council Bill Books

 Series
Identifier: 1801-77
Scope and Contents note Council Bill Books are materials before Council during Full Council Meetings to assist in the decision making process. The Bill Books can contain lists of council bills for introduction and referral, copies of council bills, exhibits for council bills, and analyses prepared by central staff on specific issues. Background materials for Clerk Files and Resolutions can also be included. Additional non-legislative items may be included as well, depending on the agenda; biographical data on...
Dates: 1997-2020

City Officials Project

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 1802-07
Scope and Contents note

This project was designed to compile lists of all department heads and elected officials, including dates of service, from creation of a City agency to the present. Completed lists include Mayors, City Council, City Attorney, Comptroller, Treasurer, Police Chief, Parks Superintendent, and Superintendent of Lighting. Also included are notes from City Charters relating to City officials and departments.

Dates: 1869-1988

Civil Service Classification Commission Study

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 1802-A9
Scope and Contents note

Correspondence, minutes, salary schedules, and job descriptions related to "properly" classifying the positions in Seattle's civil service system. The commission met for nearly three years before submitting its final report.

Dates: 1915-1917

Civil Service Commission Classification Specifications

 Series
Identifier: 1802-A7
Scope and Contents note

Job classification specifications compiled by Public Administration Service for the Civil Service Commission. Includes a schematic list of civil service job titles and a set of classification specifications that defines, illustrates, and evaluates the duties of the positions in each class.

Dates: 1938

Clerk File Index

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1802-02
Scope and Contents note An automated index is maintained by the Office of the City Clerk. It includes Clerk File number, title, date introduced to City Council, date filed with the City Clerk, and, if applicable, City Council committee reviewing the file, date of City Council action, and vote. The old manual back-up indexes date from 1904-1992 and include five volumes for the years 1904-1947 and a card file for 1947 to the present. The volumes are indexed alphabetically with five subheadings for each alphabetical...
Dates: 1904-2017

Clerk File Logbooks

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1802-03
Scope and Contents note

This numerical log beginning with CF number 1 (1895) includes number, description of the file, filing date, disposition of the file when City Council action is required, and, more recently, committee referrals. Formerly called Comptroller File Logbooks.

Dates: 1895-1992

Code Collection

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1801-88
Scope and Contents note

Collection of various City codes filed with the City Clerk. Includes building, plumbing, electrical, fire, zoning, boiler, flammable liquid, and mechanical codes, among others. Also includes standard specifications and the 1936 compilation of general ordinances.

Dates: 1901-1991

Community Renewal Program Steering Team Audiotapes

 Series
Identifier: 1642-14
Scope and Contents note Audio recordings of the Community Renewal Program Steering Team meetings regarding organization, research and planning of the program. Topics include a visit from Earl Singer, general organization, and financial issues.Minutes for the Community Renewal Program Steering Team meetings are availableIn 1962, Seattle applied for and received federal funds from the Housing and Home Finance Agency to conduct a Community Renewal Program (CRP), undertaking a comprehensive...
Dates: 1965-1966

Conditional Use/Variance Hearings

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1650-08
Scope and Contents note

Applications for conditional use permits and variances, CPC committee recommendations, and Commission action. Includes correspondence and notices of hearings.

Dates: 1951-1969

Council Bill Logs

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1801-08
Scope and Contents note

Numerical log or register of Council Bills arranged in three forms. Early logbooks (1898-1922) include Council Bill, title, and date of introduction. A card file (1906-1954) contains CB number, ordinance number if applicable, title, reference to City Council minutes, and disposition of the bill. Current logbooks (1955-present) include CB numbers and titles, ordinance number if applicable, committee referrals, reading dates, and disposition.

Dates: 1898-1992

Election Canvasses and Certifications

 Series
Identifier: 1802-B4
Scope and Contents note

Tabulations and official certifications of municipal primary, general, and special elections. Includes oversized tabulations by ward and precinct for 1910-1922. Canvasses by City Council include official vote counts for candidates, and certifications by City Council and King County Elections are official designations of election winners. Also included are sample ballots and a sheet with instructions for voting.

Dates: 1895-1986

Franchise Reports

 Series
Identifier: 1802-B2
Scope and Contents note

Statements by franchise holders including name, character of franchise, length, date originally granted, original holder of franchise, date of franchise transfer (if applicable), officers of company or corporation, ordinance numbers granting franchise, and other information concerning the franchise. The bulk of reports relate to railroad and street railway franchises, but also include telephone and telegraph services, utilities, and fire alarm systems.

Dates: 1898-1986

Gasoline and Fuel Oil Tank Bonds

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1801-87
Scope and Contents note

Surety bonds for maintenance and use of gasoline or other fuel oil tanks in or on a public place such as under a sidewalk, street, or alley. Includes bond number, name of owner, locations of property, and general agreement. Similar bonds filed before 1933 are in the Clerk File (1802-01).

Dates: 1933-1982

Comptroller General Journal

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1800-05
Scope and Contents note

Book of original entry listing debits and credits by fund and account. This series was replace by CFMS daily reports in 1980.

Dates: 1876-1979

Index to Council Proceedings

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1801-13
Scope and Contents note

One volume is divided into five sections: three sections cross-reference Council Bill, Resolution, and Ordinance numbers to volumes and pages of the minutes; and two sections cross-reference by subject. The second volume indexes volumes 12-21 of the minutes chronologically by broad subject headings.

Dates: 1896-1910

Index to Council Resolutions

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 1801-11
Scope and Contents note

Index to Resolutions in Series 1890 through Series 1904. This record indexes the bound volumes of Resolutions and is divided into four sections: 1) cross-references Resolution number to volume and page; 2) detailed subject index; 3) broad generic subject index; and 4) index to street improvements. Entries include subject term, resolution number, volume number, and page.

Dates: 1890-1906

John Riplinger Correspondence

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 1800-10
Scope and Contents note

Correspondence of John Riplinger, City Comptroller, related to city finances, investments, and city purchases. Riplinger fled Seattle in 1906 after defaulting on 68,000 dollars in City funds. These records do not relate the defalcation.

Dates: 1905-1906

Comptroller Legal Opinions

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 1800-03
Scope and Contents note

Legal opinions and correspondence from the Corporation Counsel relating to the Comptroller's financial and clerical functions.

Dates: 1897-1903

Manuals and Directories of Municipal Government

 Series — Box 1
Identifier: 1801-24
Scope and Contents note

Unofficial lists of City officials in pamphlet form. Some lists were compiled by the Office of the Comptroller, others provide no author. Some pamphlets include all City officials and their office addresses, boards and commissions, City Council committees, and Council Rules. The run is incomplete; there is not a directory for each year.

Dates: 1908-1965

Maps, Plans and Drawings

 Series
Identifier: 1802-C9
Scope and Contents note Architectural drawings and maps relating especially to City-owned property. Also includes maps and drawings of plats and housing developments. Of particular interest are blue prints of Sick's Stadium; and Zoning Commission maps that accompanied the first zoning code in Seattle. Also included are plans for Memorial Stadium, Green Lake Aqua Theatre, City Light Building on Third and Marion and City Hall. Architects include George Wellington Stoddard and Associates, Earl W. Morrison, and William...
Dates: 1910-2000

Mayors' Messages

 Series
Identifier: 1802-C2
Scope and Contents note Consisting primarily of vetoes of Council Bills, the Mayor's Messages also include annual messages to City Council, budget messages, executive orders, proclamations, and other various communications. The annual messages summarize accomplishments for specific years and also identify key issues for the Mayor in the coming year. Vetoes make up the bulk of the messages and illustrate significant issues dividing the Mayor and City Council. Liquor licenses, for example, were a frequent subject of...
Dates: 1896-1988