THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE Adopted at the General Election March 3, 1896, as Amended in PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF Seattle GATEWAY PRINTING COMPANY 1919 PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION The revised edition contains all the amendments to the City Charter adopted up to and including March 4, 1919, together with a new index to the charter as amended. WALTER F. MEIER, Corporation Counsel EDWIN C. EWING, Assistant Corporation Counsel Seattle, May 1, 1919. THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE ADOPTED AT THE GENERAL ELECTION MARCH 3, 1896, AS ARTICLE I. GENERAL RIGHTS AND LIABILITIES. Section 1. Municipality; Name, General Powers:-The municipal corporation, now existing and known as the City of Seattle, shall remain and continue a body politic and corporate in name and in fact, by the name of "The City of Seattle," and by that name shall have perpetual succession, may sue and defend in all courts and places, and in all matters and proceedings whatever, and may have and use a common seal, and alter the same at pleasure, and may purchase, receive, hold and enjoy real and personal property within and without the corporate limits of the City of Seattle, and may sell, convey, mortgage and dispose of the same for the common benefit, and may receive bequests, devises, gifts and donations of all kinds of property within and without the city for its own use and benefit, or in trust for charitable or other public purposes, and do all acts necessary to carry out the purposes of such gifts, bequests, devises and donations, with power to manage, sell, lease or otherwise dispose of the same in accordance with the terms of the gift, bequest, devise or trust. Sec. 2. Property Vested in City:-The public buildings, lands and property, all rights of property and rights of action, all moneys, revenues and income belonging or appertaining to the City of Seattle, are hereby declared to be vested in the said City of Seattle. Sec. 3. Rights and Liabilities Continued:-The City of Seattle shall continue to have, hold and enjoy all public buildings, lands, wharves, waters, property real and personal, streets, alleys and other public places, rights of property, rights of action, suits. actions, moneys, revenues, taxes, licenses, income, books, documents, records, archives, claims, demands and generally all things in possession and action of every nature and description, and shall be subject to all obligations, debts, liabilities, dues and duties, of the existing municipality. Sec. 4. Suits to Enforce Rights:-Suits, actions and proceedings may be brought in the name of the City of Seattle for the recovery of any property, money or thing belonging thereto, in law or in equity, or dedicated to public use therein, or for the enforcement of any rights of or contracts with said city, whether made or arising or accruing before or after the adoption of this charter; and the adoption of this charter shall not operate to abate or discontinue any existing suit, action or proceeding in court or elsewhere, to which said city is a party. Sec. 5. Contracts Not Affected:-All contracts of every description heretofore duly and legally made and entered into by the City of Seattle, by virtue of any existing law, shall remain valid and be binding upon the City of Seattle, to the extent only that they are now valid and binding upon the City of Seattl.e Sec. 6. Assessments Not Affected:-The adoption of this charter shall not affect any special or local assessment, re-assessment or proceeding relating thereto, which may be wholly or partly completed or pending before the city council, or any board or officer at the time of such adoption, but all such assessments, re-assessments and proceedings may be completed under the provisions of this charter; and all things done prior to the adoption of this charter, relating to any such assessment, re-assessment or proceeding now pending or remaining uncompleted, shall be held to be a compliance with the provisions of this charter relating thereto, in so far as such provisions are substantially the same as the provisions of the charter superseded hereby, relating to the same matter, or all such assessments, re-assessments and proceedings may be completed under the provisions of the charter which is superseded by this charter or under the provisions of general laws applicable thereto. Sec. 7. Continuation of Former Provisions:-All the provisions of this charter which are substantially identical with provisions of the charter superseded hereby, shall be construed as continuations of such former provisions, and not as new enactments. Time Elapsed for Filing Claims, How Counted:-In all cases of claims for damages against the city, on which part of the time allowed for presenting such claims to the city council and filing the same with the city clerk has already elapsed at the time of the adoption of this charter, the portion of time already elapsed shall be counted as a part of the six months fixed by this charter for presenting and filing such claims. ARTICLE II. BOUNDARIES, WARDS AND PRECINCTS. Section 1. The City of Seattle shall include in its limits the following lands and territory, to-wit: (Note: The limits of the City of Seattle, as existing in 1896, have been changed by the annexation of new territory, and are therefore omitted. The territory and boundaries hereinafter specified and described constitute the territory and boundaries of said city as existing May 1, 1919.) TERRITORY. Sections one, two, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, twenty-three, twentyfour, and portions of Sections three, nine, ten, sixteen, twenty-two, twenty-five and twenty-six, Township 25 North, Range 3 East, W. M. Sections five, six, seven, eight, ten, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twentyeight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-two, thirty-three and portions of Sections four, nine, eleven, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-seven, thirty-one and thirty-four, Township 25 North, Range 4 East, W. M. Sections thirteen, fourteen, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, thirty-six and portions of Sections two, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-two, twentysix, twenty-seven, thirty-four and thirty-five, Township 24 North, Range 3 East, W. M. Sections four, five, eight, nine, sixteen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-four and portions of Sections three, six, seven, ten, fourteen, fifteen, seventeen, twenty, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-six, thirty-two, thirty-three and thirty-five, Township 24 North, Range 4 East, W M. Portions of Sections one, two, three and eleven, Township 23 North, Range 4 East, W. M. BOUNDARY. Beginning at the intersection of the north line produced west of Township 25 North, Range 3 East, W. M., with the middle of Puget Sound; thence east on the north line and said north line produced of Township 25 North, Range 3 East, W. M., and Township 25 North, Range 4 East, W. M., to the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section four, Township 25 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; thence south along the east line of the west one-half of the west one-half of Section four, Township 25 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; and said east line produced south to the south line of East Sixty-fifth Street; thence east along said south line to the north and south center line of the northeast quarter of Section 9, Township 25 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; thence north along said center line to the south line of Section 4, Township 25 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; thence east along the south lines of Sections four, three and two, Township 25 North, Range 4 East, W. M., and the said south lines produced to the center line of Lake Washington; thence southerly and southeasterly along the said center line to an intersection with the east and west center line of Section one, Township 23 North, Range 4 East, W. M., produced east; thence west along said center line to an intersection with the easterly line of Kinnear's First Addition to Rainier Beach; thence southeasterly along the easterly line of said addition to the south line thereof; thence west along the said south line to an intersection with the west line of Section one, Township 23 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; thence south along said west line to the south line of said Section; thence west along the south line of Section two, Township 23 North, Range 4 East, W. M., to an intersection with the north and south center line of said Section two; thence south along the north and south center line of Section eleven, Township 23 North, Range 4 East, W. M., to the east and west center line of said Section eleven; thence west along the said center line to an intersection with the west line of said Section; thence north along said west line and the west line of Section two, Township 23 North, Range 4 East, W. M., to the east and west center line of Section three, Township 23 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; thence west along said center line to the west line of said Section three, Township 23 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; thence north along the west line of said Section three, Township 23 North, Range 4 East, W. M., and the west line of Section thirty-four, Township 24 North, Range 4 East, W. M., to the east and west, center line of Section thirty-three, township 24 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; thence west along the said center line to the center line of the Duwamish River; thence northwesterly along said center line to the intersection of the south line of Section twenty-eight, Township 24 North, Range 4 East, W .M.; thence west along said south line and the south line of Section twenty-nine, Township 24 North, Range 4 East, W. M., to the east line of River Park Addition, thence south along the east line of River Park Addition to the north line of South Park Addition; thence east along said north line to the northeast corner of South Park Addition; thence continuing south along the east line of said addition to Dallas Avenue or County Road; thence following the County Road in an easterly direction to a point on said road directly east of the southeast corner of South Park Addition; thence west along the south line of said addition and the south line produced to the northeast corner of Excelsior Acre Tracts No. 2; thence south to the southeast corner thereof; thence west along the south line of Excelsior Acre Tracts No. 2 and Excelsior Acre Tracts to the southwest corner of last named tracts; thence north to an intersection with the north line of the south one-half of the south one-half of Section thirty-two, Township 24 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; thence west to the west line of Section thirty-two, Township 24 North, Range 4 East, W. M.; thence south to the south line of said Section; thence west on the south line of Section thirty-one, Township 24 North, Range 4 East, W. M., and continuing west on the south line of Sections thirty-five and thirty-six, Township 24 North, Range 3 East, W. M., and said south line produced to an intersection with the east shore of Puget Sound at deep water; thence continuing west along said produced south line to the middle of Puget Sound; thence northerly along said middle of Puget Sound to the place of beginning-except that portion of King County Second Addition lying north of the center line of Dawson Street produced West. Sec. 2. Ward Boundaries:-The City of Seattle is hereby divided into fourteen wards, desginated and bounded as follows: (Note: This section and the four following sections were amended by repeal under Resolution No. 4897 of the city council, passed July 12, 1915, and ratified by the people at the election of March 7, 1916. The ward boundaries originally fixed by the charter of 1896 were |