The City Council Moves to Bond Seattle’s Growing Pains
A marathon session sees the council pushing to fund infrastructure—including an electric plant—to cover mounting municipal debt.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A considerable portion of last night's session of the city council was devoted to the consideration of nine ordinances providing for a special election at which the question of ratifying certain debt and the issue of new bonds for its liquidation shall be determined by the people. The bonds cover significant outstanding warrants, the city hall purchase, the Lake Union sewer tunnel, and an electric light plant. Alderman Sweeney initially moved to table the electric plant proposal, suggesting the city should wait until the public was better educated on the project. However, the proposal remained on the table for final passage. Dr. E.C. Kilbourne argued against the city-owned plant, suggesting it would cause a $100,000 loss to private home companies already providing lighting services. The council adjourned at 11:30 p.m. without concluding the full reading.
“He felt that the ordinance would not pass that night, and he thought they should lay the subject on the table until the people are better educated on the subject.”
This 1893 debate over whether the city should own its own power utility or leave it to private competitors is the foundational argument for Seattle City Light, which would eventually become one of the most successful public utilities in the country. It highlights the city's long history of balancing public ownership against the influence of private industry.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.