The City Hall Salary Wars

The house of delegates wrestled last night with the salary reduction proposition for three hours, attempting to bridge the gap between their own rates and those framed by the aldermen. The house declared its belief that the aldermanic scale was too radical. In the afternoon, a meeting of the advisory board—including the mayor, comptroller, and department heads—convened to prepare an amended proposition. The principal amendments included reducing the clerical force in the comptroller’s office and the treasurer’s office, while consolidating the market inspector and sanitary inspector roles. During the session, Superintendent Helma protested the proposed salary cuts for building inspectors, arguing that Seattle’s workload far exceeded that of Tacoma. The debate extended to the police department, where Chief Juleen expressed concern that further reductions would impair the efficiency of his force, yet ultimately, the house reached a compromise on a new salary schedule for city employees, including police, firemen, and clerks.