˜

The Ward M. Canaday Center

for Special Collections

The University of Toledo

Finding Aid

Toledo City Council Records

MSS-297

Size: 55 linear feet
Provenance: Julie Gibbons, Assistant Clerk of Council, City of Toledo

Access: Open

Collection Summary: Meeting minutes from the City Council and Board of Aldermen, dating to the founding of the city of Toledo. Also includes ordinances and resolutions.

Subject(s): Politics and Government

Related Collections:   Toledo Mayoral Paper MSS-06, Linda Furney City Council Files MSS-150, Mary M. Gillham Papers MSS-029, City of Toledo, Commission on Publicity and Efficiency MSS-030, Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) MSS-114

Copyright: The literary rights to this collection are assumed to rest with the person(s) responsible for the production of the particular items within the collection, or with their heirs or assigns.  Researchers bear full legal responsibility for the acquisition to publish from any part of said collection per Title 17, United States Code.  The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections may reserve the right to intervene as intermediary at its own discretion.

Completed by: Laura Morillo, March 2016

Historical/Biographical Sketch

The Toledo City Council has been the governing body of the city of Toledo, Ohio since 1914. Prior to that there was a bicameral council consisting of the Board of Aldermen and the Common Council between 1874 and 1903. Originally just the Common Council existed in 1837. Typically city government changes from bicameral to unicameral legislatures as a cost cutting strategy.


The Common Council proposes bills, holds votes and passes laws to help govern the city much like the federal legislative system. The original Common Council members were: Junius Flagg, Jamie S. Way, Elijah Porter for the North East Ward, and George B. Way, Stephen B. Comstock, Samuel R. Bradley for the South East Ward (Belford).


Aldermen represent a specific ward or section of a city. They also serve on committees of larger projects; in 1883 there were twenty-one committees: Claims and Accounts, Ways and Means, Streets, Health and Hospital, Judiciary, Harbor and Commerce, Infirmary, Parks Canal Beds and Pounds, Water Supply and Water Works, Sewers, Gas, Printing, Education and University, Police, Cemetery, Fire Department, Bridges, House of Refuge and Correction, Work House, Markets and Market Houses, and Buildings.


The first Aldermen in 1874 were: Frederick Dodge, James H. Maples, Robert J Wallace, Frank j. Sting, Daniel Segur, Exle Hamilton, Jacob Romeis, and Patrick Owens.

Works Cited
Belford, Irvin, and Charles T. Lewis. The Municipal Code of the City of Toledo, Comprising the General Ordinances and Special Ordinances of General Interest, Together with an Appendix, Containing the Rules and Regulations of the Board of Aldermen, the Board of Councilmen, and the Board of Water Works, and Other Matters of Public Interest. Toledo, O.: Spear, Johnson, 1885. Print.


Scope and Content Note

The Toledo City Records collection mostly consists of meeting minutes from the Board of Aldermen between 1874 and 1903, the Common Council between 1837 and 1905, and Joint Committee of Alderman and Council between 1874 and 1903.


There are also letter books from the Clerk of Council from 1906 to 1925. There are five volumes of the Toledo Municipal Code from 1919 from the Committee of Publicity and Efficiency and two boxes from 1952. There are several bound books regarding gas/electric and lighting assessments, improvements, ordinances, and resolutions.

This collection is an invaluable resource on the development and history of the city of Toledo. Of particular note are the Articles of Incorporation for the city of Toledo from 1837; this important founding document for the city can be found in Volume A of the City Council Meeting Minutes.


 
Series List

S#

Series

Description

S1

Board of Aldermen, 1874- 1903

Meeting Minutes

S2

City Council

  1. Clerk of Council, 1837-1905
  2. City Council, 1906-1925
  3. Committee of Publicity and Efficiency, 1919
  4. Gas/Electric Lighting, 1854-1948

 

Meeting Minutes

Letter Books

Toledo Municipal Code

 

Improvements, Ordinances, Resolutions

S3

Joint Committee of Aldermen and Council, 1874-1903

Meeting Minutes

Box

Folder

Item

 

 

Series 1- Board of Aldermen, 1874-1903

1

 

Board of Aldermen VOL. A, 1874-1877

2

 

Board of Aldermen VOL. B, 1877-1882

3

 

Board of Aldermen VOL. C, 1882-1887

4

 

Board of Aldermen VOL. D, 1887-1892

5

 

Board of Aldermen VOL. E, 1892-1896

6

 

Board of Aldermen VOL. F, 1896-1898

7

 

Board of Aldermen VOL. G, 1898-1900

8

 

Board of Aldermen VOL. H, 1900-1902

9

 

Board of Aldermen VOL. I, 1902-1903

 

 

Series 2 – City Council, 1837-1950

 

 

A. Clerk of Council 1906-1925

10

1

Clerk of Council Letter Books; 1906-1907

10

2

Clerk of Council Letter Books; 1908-1910

10

3

Clerk of Council Letter Books; 1916-1917

11

1

Clerk of Council Letter Books; 1913-1915

11

2

Clerk of Council Letter Books; 1923-1935

12

1

Clerk of Council Letter Books; 1915-1916

12

2

Clerk of Council Letter Books; 1925

 

 

B. City Council, 1837-1950

55

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. A, 1837-1846

13

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. B, 1846-1851

14

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. C, 1851-1855

15

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. D, 1855-1858

16

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. E, 1858-1862

17

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. F, 1862-1866

18

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. G, 1866-1867

19

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. H, 1867-1869

20

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. I, 1869-1871

21

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. K, 1871-1873

22

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. L, 1873-1874

23

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. M, 1874-1877

24

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. N, 1877-1880

25

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. O, 1880-1882

26

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. P, 1883-1887

27

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. Q, 1887-1891

28

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. R, 1897-1895

29

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. S, 1895-1898

30

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. U, 1899-1901

31

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. V,  1901-1902

32

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. W, 1902-1903

33

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. X, 1903-1904

34

 

City Council Meeting Minutes VOL. Y, 1904-1905

54

 

City Council; Proceedings, 1950

 

 

C. Committee of Publicity and Efficiency, 1919

35

 

Committee of Publicity and Efficiency; Toledo Municipal Code 1919

36

 

Committee of Publicity and Efficiency; Toledo Municipal Code 1919

37

 

Committee of Publicity and Efficiency; Toledo Municipal Code 1919

38

 

Committee of Publicity and Efficiency; Toledo Municipal Code 1919

39

 

Committee of Publicity and Efficiency; Toledo Municipal Code 1919

40

 

Committee of Publicity and Efficiency; Toledo Municipal Code 1952

41

 

Committee of Publicity and Efficiency; Toledo Municipal Code 1952

 

 

D. Gas/Electric Lighting, 1854-1948

42

 

Gas/Electric Lighting Assessment, 1900

43

 

Gas/Electric Improvements to Resolutions B, 1896-1900

44

 

Gas/Electric Improvements to Resolutions C, 1900-1903

45

 

Gas/Electric Ordinances 1,  1854-1892

46

 

Gas/Electric Ordinances 2  1892-1902

47

 

Gas/Electric Resolutions A, 1903-1910

48

 

Gas/Electric Resolutions B, 1910-1922

49

 

Gas/Electric Resolutions C, 1928-1948

 

 

Series 3 – Joint Committee of Aldermen and Council, 1874-1903

50

 

Joint Committee of Aldermen & Common Council Meeting Minutes A, 1874-1899

51

 

Joint Committee of Aldermen & Common Council Meeting Minutes B, 1899-1903

52

 

Local Ohio Centennial Commission Minutes 1897-1902

53

 

Map of Port of Toledo 1947