City and County Spar Over Smallpox Care Costs
A simmering dispute between the Seattle City Council and King County over who should pay to treat the city's sick and indigent.
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In the board of aldermen, a heated discussion took place regarding the financial liability of King County for the care of the sick and needy. The city has incurred heavy expenses during a recent smallpox epidemic, and officials now claim the county should foot the bill. Alderman Jordan insisted that the county commissioners be forced to pay or face a lawsuit. The city health department compiled a list of dozens of patients, including smallpox victims, who they argue were residents of the county outside of city limits or transients, making their care a county responsibility. The county commissioners, however, have disclaimed liability, arguing that the city took these measures for its own protection. The city estimates the county's liability to be between $15,000 and $20,000.
“Alderman Jordan called up the subject for discussion. He insisted that the county commissioners should be called upon to make good the amount so expended.”
The tension between Seattle city government and King County over the cost of social services and public health care remains a defining feature of local politics today, mirroring these 1893 debates over who pays for the most vulnerable citizens.
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