Audiotapes
Found in 43 Collections and/or Records:
Assessed Valuations
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.
Certificates of Nomination
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.
Chauncey W. Ferris Correspondence
Correspondence of Chauncey W. Ferris, the first Comptroller of Seattle. Also includes correspondence from Ferris' tenure as City Clerk (1889-1890).
City Council Bill Books
City Officials Project
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.
Civil Service Classification Commission Study
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.
Civil Service Commission Classification Specifications
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.
Clerk File Index
Clerk File Logbooks
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.
Code Collection
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.
Council Bill Logs
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.
Election Canvasses and Certifications
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.
Franchise Reports
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.
Gasoline and Fuel Oil Tank Bonds
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).
Index to Council Proceedings
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.
Index to Council Resolutions
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.
Manuals and Directories of Municipal Government
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.
Maps, Plans and Drawings
Mayors' Messages
Memorandum of Records of Ordinances
A log used in tracking actions taken on legislation. Includes ordinance number; title; adoption date; vote by councilmembers; dates approved, published, and filed with City Clerk; page ordinance appears in Council minutes; and page ordinance appears in volume of engrossed ordinances. Volume includes ordinances 238-1386.
Miscellaneous Board and Commission Minutes
Proceedings of meetings of boards, commissions, committees, and special task forces. Includes minutes of permanent boards, etc., established by the City Charter and special committees, etc., appointed for a short duration. Does not include minutes of City Council.
Model Cities Program Contracts
Contracts and agreements with individuals and organizations for services offered through the Model Cities Program. Includes 434 contracts.
Municipal Code
The Seattle Municipal Code codifies all general ordinances currently in effect. The Code is indexed by subject and arranged by title, chapter, and section. Predecessors to the Municipal Code include numerous compilations of City ordinances published between 1884 and 1938, often organized in subject arrangements. These earlier compilations were referred to variously as General Ordinances or Codes. The Office of the City Clerk maintains an automated, full text index to the Municipal Code.
Official Names and Naming Proposals
Petitions and recommendations for and designations of official names or name changes for streets, parks and playgrounds, public buildings, and bridges in Seattle.
Official Publications Scrapbook
Newspaper clippings of published ordinances and resolutions, mayoral vetoes, election returns, official notices, and other city business. Of particular interest is a published registration list of legal voters in Seattle by ward and precinct for the 1892 election.
Ordinance Amendment Card Index
This card file lists all legislative action which amends, supercedes, repeals, or in some other way affects an ordinance. It is not a true index as the cards are arranged by ordinance number. This index has been superceded by the City Clerk's automated ordinance index.
Ordinance Codification Project Records
Correspondence, memoranda, notes, and financial records relating to the WPA Project (#201) to codify Seattle City ordinances.
Ordinance Indexes
Ordinance/Council Bill Cross-Reference Cards
These cards list ordinances in numerical order with a short title, Council Bill number, and date approved. Information is sketchy between 1883-1910. Included are some entries from Ballard, Columbia City, and Georgetown.
Ordinances
Permanent laws of the City passed by City Council and signed by the Mayor. Includes ordinance number, title, text, date passed, and signatures. In some instances, background correspondence and affidavits of publication are filed in the ordinance jackets. Most ordinances from number 1 to 254 are not extant. Ordinances 255 to 1068 are found in bound volumes. All other ordinances are microfiched and hardcopy is arranged numerically in boxes.
Population and Census Data
Population studies, statistics, and census data primarily for Seattle and the metropolitan area. Includes reports on population of cities and towns in Washington State, population and housing trends in Seattle, and of special interest, the official census of the Town of West Seattle in 1907.
Proposed City Budgets
Budget proposals drafted by the Mayor's budget office and submitted to the City Council for consideration. The City Council subsequently holds hearings, amends the proposed budget, and passes on the final decisions.
Public Development Authority Documents
Annual reports, financial reports and audits, minutes, charters, rules, and applications of public corporations known as public development authorities (PDA). PDAs are responsible for policy formulation and administration of certain public historic districts, public low income housing or housing rehabilitation programs, and economic development programs.
Published Documents Collection
Puget Sound Traction, Light and Power Company Maps and Property Inventory
Recalls and Impeachments
Petitions, certifications of signatures, reports, correspondence, and statements of expense regarding attempts to recall or impeach City officials. Includes the 1906 petition for a recall amendment to the City Charter.
Record of Ordinances
Numerical listing of ordinance titles. Arranged by ordinance number and including title and date approved. Handwritten, marginal notes indicate repeal dates when applicable. Volume 1 includes ordinances 1-5182; volume 2 includes ordinances 5183-8489.
Referenda
Petitions, certifications of signatures, and City Attorney opinions on referenda. A referendum is proposed or approved legislation that is referred through a petition process to the people for a vote.
Register of Appointments
Lists of elected officials and appointments to City positions and committees. Arranged chronologically.
Resignations and Removals
Written resignations by elected officials, board and commission members, and city employees; and notifications to City Council by the Mayor of the removal from office of executive department heads and board and commission members.
Resolutions
City legislation of an administrative or administrative nature, or expressing policy. Resolutions are passed by City Council and may carry the Mayor's signature as an endorsement. Arranged numerically with some early duplicate numbering because resolutions were maintained in two-year series from 1890-1906 with each series beginning with number 1. Beginning with series 1906, resolutions are on microfiche or microfilm cassette.
Resolutions Register
Significant Voting Record
Tabulation of legislation "of significant public interest." Includes Council Bill, Comptroller File, or Resolution number; Ordinance number, if applicable; date of Council action; title of legislation; significance of the issue; and each Councilmember's vote. No log was maintained from 1986-1992.