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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 until 1992 when a 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.
The City Charter documents the legal status of the City, defines its powers and physical boundaries, establishes the responsibilities of city officials, and records the required functions of city agencies. Seattle's first charter was passed by the Territorial Legislature in 1869; subsequent new charters were passed by vote of the citizens in 1890, 1896, and 1946. The original charter is in the State Archives in Olympia.
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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 on microfiche located in the Clerk's Office. Original ordinances are arranged numerically in boxes and those more than ten years old are housed at the Regional Archives.
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Alphabetical subject index in two formats. Three volumes index bound/engrossed ordinances for 1882-1903 beginning with ordinance 255. Volumes 1 and 2 include subject, ordinance number, volume and page. Volume 1A has an additional section with a few specific subject headings related to City functions and services (e.g., Nuisances, Pound, Sewers, etc.). A card index covering 1909-1992 is divided into seven sections: firms and corporations, funds, general subjects, named streets, plats, individuals (discontinued), and unplatted land. The cards also index resolutions and council bills and to a limited degree, related Comptroller Files. Ordinances are now included in the City Clerk's automated indexing system, SEARCH, for the years 1965 to the present.
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This card file lists all legislative action which amends, supersedes, repeals, or in some other way affects an ordinance. It is not a true index as the cards are arranged by ordinance number.
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These cards list ordinances in numerical order with a short title, Council Bill number, and date approved. Information is incomplete for the years 1883-1910. Included are a limited number of entries for the City of Ballard, Columbia City, and Georgetown.
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Codification of all general ordinances currently in effect. Ordinances are broken down by subject and arranged by title, chapter, and section. The code is indexed by subject. Includes a copy of the City Charter. Periodically updated to within two months. The current edition of the code was first published in 1986. The Code is now available in electronic form in the City Clerk's SEARCH system.
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Council Bills are draft ordinances processed by the City Clerk for introduction to City Council. If passed and signed by the Mayor, they become ordinances; if not passed, they remain Council Bills. Bills from 1890-1906 are arranged in two-year series with duplicated numbers. From 1906, arrangement is numerical.
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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.
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City legislation of an administrative or temporary 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.
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Index
One volume (1890-1906) is an index divided into three sections: numerical with references to bound volumes of resolutions, a broad subject index, and a more detailed subject index that also refers to the bound volumes. A card file (1907-1958), arranged numerically, includes description, reference to Council minutes, and general remarks. From 1958, the Resolutions Register contains the number, title, committee referral, and disposition.
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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.
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Official proceedings of the Seattle City Council. Includes dates, members present, and actions taken. Council minutes do not record debate on issues. Separate volumes were kept for both Houses during Seattle's experiment with a bicameral council (1890-1896). Arranged chronologically in volumes. Duplicated on microfiche.
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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.
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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. This record was not maintained in the late 1980s.
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Reference materials collected by Comptroller for basis of proposing City Charter revisions. Includes City Charters, correspondence, reports, and discussion papers. Some copies from the Board of Freeholders records. Project was never completed.
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Correspondence, memoranda, notes, and financial records relating to the WPA Project (#201) to codify Seattle City ordinances.
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The Commission was established to draft a new City Charter and submit it to the electorate. Records include minutes of Commission meetings, a copy of the proposed charter, and internal committee assignments. The proposed charter was defeated.
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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; and the page and volume number of engrossed ordinances in which the ordinance appears. Volume includes ordinances 238-1386.
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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.
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Annual budget and salary ordinances adopted by City Council. Includes program summaries, program highlights, and significant plans for the budget year or biennium.
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Surety bonds for installation, 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, location of property, and general agreement. Similar bonds predating 1933 are in the Clerk Files (1802-01).
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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 WPA compilation of general ordinances.
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Published documents created by or for City agencies. Includes reports, studies, environmental impact statements, master plans, and audits. Also included are City Charters, published ordinances, the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the City, and City budgets and Capital Improvement Program plans. These documents are compiled from many sources and are complemented by documents located and described in other records series.
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This records series consists of materials placed "on file" with the City Clerk as an official City file. Types of records include affidavits, agreements, audits, applications, appointments, contracts, correspondence, annual reports, Mayor's messages and vetoes, petitions, policies and procedures, City publications, legislation background materials, etc. These records can be generated by elected officials, City agencies, and the general public. Arranged numerically beginning in 1895 with number 1. Formerly called Comptroller Files.
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Indexes
This index includes five volumes for the years 1904-1947 and a card file for 1947 to the 1993. Since 1993 the Clerk Files have been indexed in the City Clerk's automated indexing system, SEARCH. Currently, SEARCH includes Clerk Files from 1975 to the present. The volumes are indexed alphabetically with five subheadings for each alphabetical section: Persons, Streets and Avenues, Firms and Corporations, Alleys and Additions, and Miscellaneous Subjects. Entries include CF number and description. The card file is a more methodical index with subject cross-references. It is divided into five broad categories: Additions, Avenues and Streets, Unplatted Townships, Firms and Corporations, and a General Subject Index.
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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.
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Correspondence, petitions, license applications, bonds, claims, contracts, specifications, and complaints filed with the City Clerk. This is an early version of the Clerk File. Records are generally filed alphabetically by name of creator or by subject.
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Alphabetical index to "Personal Files". Includes file number, name, and position.
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Files contain personnel actions collected together for an individual in a "Personal Record" jacket. Records can include appointments, bonds, oaths of office, applications, and resignations. Arranged by file number.
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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. Up to date lists include Mayor, 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.
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Lists of elected officials and appointments to City positions and committees. Arranged chronologically.
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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.
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Petitions for annexation, certificates of annexation, incorporation certifications, and reports on proposed consolidation of services for the small cities that were annexed by Seattle between 1906-1910. Includes Ballard, Columbia, Dunlap, Georgetown, Ravenna, South Park, South Seattle, Southeast Seattle, West Seattle, and Yesler Precinct.
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Annual reports, primarily of City agencies, filed with the City Clerk, per City Charter requirement. Included also are reports of some non-city entities such as the Seattle Housing Authority and the Port of Seattle.
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Appointments and oaths of office for officials, employees, and board/commission members whose positions require this formal process. Large numbers of "special patrolman" appointments were made during certain periods and events such as the 1919 general strike and various periods of labor unrest.
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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.
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Independent audits of City agencies and programs conducted by external accounting firms. Records are primarily financial audits of public utilities.
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Financial and public interest reports filed by candidates for political office, PACs, or other organizations actively working in political campaigns. Since passage of a City Charter Amendment in November 1976, candidates and committees are required to file State Public Disclosure Commission reports (F-1) listing investments and creditors, Statement of Committee to Elect reports (C-1) listing treasurer and bank, and a statement of contributions received and expenditures (C-4). Prior to 1976, candidates were required to file statements of campaign expenses immediately following the election.
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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.
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Correspondence, reports, plans, and minutes related to civil defense activities in Seattle and King County. Includes documents pertaining to World War II defense planning by the Civilian War Commission.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Statistical reports on monetary loss due to fires, types of alarms, number and causes of fires, loss per cause per occupancy, and records of inspections and investigations of properties and incidents.
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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.
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Verbatim transcripts of hearings on issues including limited access highways, department head appointments, ethics and fair campaign practices, urban renewal, allegations of graft in government, and public utility regulation. Especially interesting are the 1924 hearings by the City Council's Departmental Efficiency Committee investigating corruption in the Seattle Police Department. Also includes petitions and notices related to the hearings.
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Correspondence, receipts, inventories, and financial records of committee appointed to dispose of emergency supplies following World War II. Supplies purchased by the City during the war with War Chest funds were administered by the Red Cross. Following the War, these supplies were put up for sale; unsold items were donated to the Red Cross and the Seattle Health Department.
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Petitions, correspondence, and designations of historical landmarks in Seattle. Landmarks are designated by the Landmarks Preservation Board.
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Petitions and reports on sufficiency of petition signatures on initiatives brought by the citizens of Seattle. Included is the 1908 Charter Amendment petition for direct legislation by initiative and referendum. An initiative is the citizens' right to initiate legislation or other measures to be voted on by the people.
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Narrative and statistical reports on public health concerns including birth, mortality, and infectious disease reports, and milk inspections. Also includes statistics on plumbing inspections, quarantine reports, meat and other food inspections, slaughterhouse reports, and general sanitation reports.
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Minute book, original certificate share book, list of shareholders, transfer of shares, legislation, and deeds relating to sale of railway to the City in 1914. This was one of the earliest municipal ventures in street railway ownership.
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Annual State of the City messages, budget messages, vetoes, executive orders, proclamations, and other special messages of Seattle's mayors.
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Proceedings of meetings of boards, commissions, committees, and special task forces. Includes minutes of the permanent bodies, established by the City Charter, and of special committees, etc., appointed by the Mayor generally for a short duration. The series does not include the minutes of the City Council.
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Brief reports regarding regular visits by women officers to dance halls, cabarets, pool halls, theaters, comfort stations, skating rinks, and beverage dispensaries. Includes information on numbers of intoxicated persons, curfew violations, "risqué/vulgar" performances, and disorderly conduct. Arranged chronologically.
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Contracts and agreements with individuals and organizations for services offered through the Model City Program.
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Petitions and recommendations for and designations of official names or name changes for streets, parks and playgrounds, public buildings, and bridges in Seattle.
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Statistical reports including tonnage and value of goods imported and exported through the port of Seattle. Information is organized by port of origination/destination and then by product.
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Correspondence and reports of the City Council committee responsible for investigating waste in city agencies and recommending efficiencies. The committee also reported on vice and corruption in city government.
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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; maps and inventories of Puget Sound Traction, Light, and Power Company; and Zoning Commission maps that accompanied the first zoning code in Seattle.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Petitions, certifications of sufficiency or insufficiency of registered voter signatures, reports, correspondence, and statements of expense regarding attempts to recall or impeach City officials. Also included is the petition for the 1906 recall amendment to the City Charter.
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Petitions, certifications of sufficiency or insufficiency of registered voter 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.
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Program and financial audits conducted by the Legislative Department's program evaluation analysts. In 1984, the audit function was taken over by the Office of the Comptroller. A Charter amendment in 1992 returned the audit function to the Legislative Department.
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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.
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Published and unpublished reports produced by City agencies or consultants for City agencies. These reports and studies concern all past and present activities, services, and controversies of City government.
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Yearly financial audits of the City of Seattle and of its various agencies conducted by the Washington State Auditor's Office.
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Audits by E.G. Shorrock & Co. CPAs of the "Comptrollers Incomplete Work Fund" and other departmental accounts with cash collection and disbursement authority. Audits were conducted following Comptroller Jonathan Riplinger's flight from the City after defalcation amounting to 8,178.91. Also included is a report by George F. Russel regarding his attempts to locate Riplinger and recover the funds, and audits by Lester, Herrick & Herrick CPAs.
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Reports of board activities; petitions, protests, and other correspondence regarding shows at theaters and panorams; and other material related to the Board. Formerly known as the Board of Theater Censors. Subjects include licensing of theaters and censorship.
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Monthly reports of the Traffic Violations Bureau. Includes number of traffic and parking tickets issued, the number of tickets cleared, record of court cases, and amount of bail and fines paid. Reports do not include violations booked through the police department such as drunken driving and hit and run accidents.
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Transit books, level books, and peg books of levels compiled by city engineers during surveys of the Skagit River Railway. Also includes survey books of east side transmission lines of the Skagit River Power Project. Books contain surveyors notes and drawings. F.F. Nicholas was project engineer. Volume Five of the Level Books includes cover title "Precise Levels Diablo to Rip Raps."
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Petitions, requests, agreements, and resolutions related to vendors, water system, special police, comfort stations, and property disposition during and after the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE). The AYPE was Seattle's first "world's fair" and was held on the present grounds of the University of Washington.
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Records concerning annexations to the City of Seattle during the 1940s and 1950s. Includes petitions for annexation, area maps, correspondence, copies of legislation, taxation calculations, and personal notes. Principle annexed areas were Arbor Heights, Ballard Tidelands, Blue Ridge, Lake Ridge, Maple Leaf, Northgate, Roxbury, Sand Point, Turner, and West Seattle. Also includes annexation studies by the Seattle Engineering Department and the Municipal League.
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Certifications by the Secretary of State that abstracts of proceedings relating to annexation have been filed with the State. Includes summaries of Seattle City Council meetings, petitions for annexation, resolutions, ordinances, and votes cast in annexation elections. Annexations had to be initiated by the communities that wished to become part of the City of Seattle.
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Statements of financial condition of Ballard, Columbia, South Park, and West Seattle at the time of annexation by the City of Seattle. Included are statements regarding local improvement districts, municipal bonds, funds, and balance sheets.
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Deeds to the City providing legal evidence of property ownership by the City. Includes quit claim deeds, warranty deeds, leases, easements, deeds of dedication, and other property instruments. Records are incomplete for deeds numbered 1-5900.
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The volumes record deeds alphabetically by plat or township/range coordinates. Entries include file number, grantor, type of instrument, property description, ordinance number, date, and remarks. Index cards beginning in 1970 include the same information.
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Project files for street, sewer, and other improvements funded by assessments against property benefiting from the improvement. Files include specifications, bids, contracts, notices of assessment, bonds, majority petitions, payment statements, estimates, certificates of completion, protests, drawings, and City Council committee reports. Arranged by LID number after 1891 and alphabetically for earlier years.
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Index
One volume indexes LIDs 1-2178 alphabetically by street name and numerically for numbered streets. It lists the LID number and a description of the improvement. The second volume indexes LIDs 1-2333 and refers to the volume and page of the City Council minutes in which the respective LID is mentioned. Also see the streets index in the Ordinance/Resolution Card Index.
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This numerical listing of LIDs includes LID number, street value, and approving ordinance and resolution numbers.
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Includes LID number; site and type of improvement; resolutions, ordinances, and Clerk files related to the LID; and assessment roll filing date. Arranged numerically.
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Petitions for street improvements containing signatures of sixty percent or more of affected property owners approving of work to be done. Includes report of BPW giving estimate of cost, amount of assessment against property, and total aggregate assessed real estate. Also included are drawings, and protest petitions.
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Indefinitely postponed local improvement district files containing documents generated up to the time the LID was postponed. Includes copy of resolution declaring intent for improvement, estimate of cost, area map, City Council committee recommendation for postponement, and notice of hearing on proposed improvement. Arranged by resolution number.
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Index to Treasurer's LID assessment rolls including annexed cities districts. Contains alphabetical listing of street or addition, district number, ordinance, and assessment roll volume number.
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Engrossed petitions for street improvements with reports by City Council committees. Includes street name, authorizing ordinance number, petition text, names of petitioners, date, estimated cost as provided by the City Engineer, and certification of majority. Also includes a street name index to page number of volumes and authorizing ordinance.
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Register of local improvements arranged by LID number. Includes portion of street to be improved, nature of improvement, authorizing ordinance, estimated cost, amount of bond, total assessment, bid and contract award dates, contractor, time for completion, and general information regarding assessment rolls and financing bonds.
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Correspondence, ordinances, agreements, and franchise statements relating to franchise granted by the City for street railways, railroad right--of-ways, and utilities. Includes some franchises of the City of Ballard. Arranged by file number. Index volume included with records lists franchise recipient, ordinance number when included, and file number.
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Annual franchise statements required by Ordinance 4953. Includes name of franchise holder, character of franchise, length, date granted, to whom originally granted, date transferred if applicable, whether holder is person or corporation, owners/officers, ordinance granting franchise, and comments. Franchises include telephone and telegraph, railroads, electric street railway, water systems, electric power lines, gas lines, and fire alarm systems among others.
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The Clerical Department was established by the 1890 City Charter and incorporated the duties of the City Clerk. The Clerk maintained the complete record of City Council meetings, had custody of public records filed with the City, and the original rolls of ordinances. The 1896 City Charter designated the Comptroller the ex-officio City Clerk. This provision effectively abolished the Clerical Department although it remained a Department in name until excluded from the 1946 City Charter.
Correspondence of Comptroller Will H. Parry in his capacity as City Clerk. Includes an index. Also included in the volume is an inventory of records and equipment stored in the City Clerk's records' vaults.
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Correspondence relating primarily to Council support functions of the City Clerk. The bulk of the material is outgoing correspondence reporting on actions taken by City Council. Principle correspondents include the Board of Public Works, City Comptroller, Corporation Counsel, and Reginald H. Thomson, then City Engineer.
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