Office of the Ombudsman and Citizen Complaints Annual Reports, 1971-1978

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Office of the Ombudsman and Citizen Complaints
Title
Office of the Ombudsman and Citizen Complaints Annual Reports
Dates
1971-1978 (inclusive)
Quantity
.2 cubic foot, (1 box)
Collection Number
1802-H5
Summary
Annual reports of the Seattle-King County Office of the Ombudsman and Citizen Complaints, 1971 to 1978.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

In 1970, Ordinance 99092 established the joint Seattle/King County Office of Citizen Complaints, adopting County Ordinance 473. The City paid the proportion of the joint use program equivalent to the ratio of the population within its city limits to that of the total population of King County. The responsibility of the Ombudsman was to investigate complaints from citizens regarding the actions or decisions of the administrative agencies of the City or County.

The Ombudsman was director of the Office of Citizen Complaints and was appointed by the city and county councils. This official had the power to investigate citizen complaints against City and County agencies and was also authorized to subpoena and to administer oaths to witnesses. After investigation, the office made recommendations, although findings and recommendations were not binding on the agency.

The Office stopped receiving City funds in 1982.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Ombudsman annual reports date from to 1971-1978. Reports include an explanation of the Ombudsman's role, an overview of the year's activities, staffing and budget information, case summaries, lists of cases by City and County departments, case statistics, and projects resulting from a high number of complaints regarding a specific issue or other subjects of complaints. There are two reports for 1978; the second deals primarily with criticisms of the Police Department’s disciplinary process.

Additional Ombudsman annual reports are included in the Seattle Municipal Archives Published Documents Collection.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Seattle King-County Office of the Ombudsman and Citizen Complaints Annual Reports, Record Series 1802-H5. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Annual reports are arranged chronologically by year.

Custodial History

Records were originally filed with the City Clerk in the Comptroller/Clerk's Files (CFs) and were removed to create this record series.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Seattle-King County Office of the Ombudsman and Citizen Complaints Annual Reports, 1971-1978Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Seattle King Country Ombudsman Annual Report
1971-1972
1/1
Seattle King County Ombudsman Annual Report
1974
1/1
Seattle King County Office of the Ombudsman Annual Report
1975
1/2
Seattle King County Office of the Ombudsman Annual Report (published and unpublished)
1976
1/2
Seattle King County Office of the Ombudsman Annual Report
1977
1/3
Seattle King County Office of the Ombudsman Annual Report
1978

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Administrative remedies--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Ombudsman--Washington (State)--King County

Geographical Names

  • King County (Wash.)--Politics and government
  • Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government

Form or Genre Terms

  • Annual reports

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • Seattle-King County Office of the Ombudsman (creator)