Seattle City Clerk's Office -- Legislative documents

Seattle City Clerk's Office
Legislative documents

Ordinances constitute the laws of the City. They must be passed by the City Council and signed by the Mayor, or passed by the Council over the Mayor's veto. Ordinances also are required to authorize certain actions, as designated in the City Charter.

Ordinance files include the text of legislation as well as information on legislative history. All ordinances up to the last year are available for reference in the City Clerk's Office on microfiche. More recent ordinances are available in paper files. The text of ordinances from 1996 to the present is available electronically from the City Clerk's web site. The ordinance files include the ordinances of the annexed municipalities, including West Seattle, Ballard, Columbia, Georgetown, South Park, and Southeast Seattle.

Council Bills

A council bill is a draft ordinance which the City Clerk processes for formal introduction to the City Council. If the legislation is passed by the Council and signed by the Mayor, it becomes a city ordinance. If it is not passed by the Council, or if a Mayoral veto is not overidden by council vote, it remains a council bill and is filed in the City Clerk's office. The text of council bills is available electronically from the time of introduction from the City Clerk's web site.

Resolutions

A resolution is City legislation which is administrative or temporary, or which expresses policy. Resolutions are passed by the City Council only, but the Council may request the Mayor's signature as endorsement of the policies contained within them. Resolutions also may serve as backup material or preliminary policy in preparation for drafting a council bill.

Resolutions from 1906 until one year before the present are available for reference on microfiche in the City Clerk's office. Prior and subsequent resolutions are available in paper copies. The text of resolutions from 1996 to the present is available electronically from the City Clerk's web site.

Comptroller/Clerk Files

A Comptroller or Clerk file can consist of correspondence, reports, petitions, contracts, agreements, etc. from elected officials, City departments, other government agencies, or the general public, which have been placed "on file" with the City Clerk as an official file of the City. Examples include affidavits, agreements, audits, applications, appointments, approvals, Council reviews, contracts, certifications, charters, community development block grant deeds of trust, correspondence, Mayor's messages, vetoes, petitions, policies, proposals, City publications, reports, rulings, rules, recommendations and requests. The name of this record series was changed to "Clerk files" in 1993 when the office of Comptroller was abolished by a City Charter amendment.

Comptroller/Clerk files up to the last year are available for reference in the City Clerk's Office on microfiche. More recent Clerk files are available in paper files. An index to Comptroller and Clerk files from 1913 to the present is available on the City Clerk's web site.

legdocs.htm
Rev. 5/19/04

Seattle City Clerk's Office Legislative documents

Seattle City Clerk's Office
Legislative documents