Subseries consists of audited financial information for the City of Halifax. This includes the City of Halifax Auditor's Report (1902, 1925-1940) and audited financial statements (1945-1996). The financial statements may contain copies of statements of separately audited entities, such as the Halifax District School Board, Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax Water Commission, Halifax Forum Commission, the Downtown Halifax Business Improvement District, and the Spring Garden Road Business Improvement District. For the City's final year before amalgamation in 1996, the financial statements consist of six separate parts plus a volume indicated as "period ended March 15, 1996." Duplicates are retained when available.
Subseries consists of operating and capital budgets for the City of Halifax. These are also referred to as estimates or expenditures. The 1967 operating budget is available only as proposed to council. Capital budgets are available starting 1952; only proposed capital budgets are available until 1972. Operating and capital budgets are bound together from 1987 to 1993; however, there is a separate capital budget volume for 1992 with data that differs from that in the combined operating and capital volume. Duplicates are retained when available.
Minutes of the proceedings of every meeting of Council were to be drawn up and fairly entered by the Clerk in a book [or the equivalent] kept for that purpose and properly indexed. Minutes were submitted at the next regular Council Meeting and could be altered if Council agreed upon the change. The City Clerk’s Office indexed the Minutes by year, starting in 1890. <p>Originally, minutes were handwritten into yearly minute books. Starting in 1890, minutes were printed into yearly booklets or typed and bound. This continued until 1995 when the minutes were left loose or put in 3-ring binders. Minutes of special meetings of Council were kept separately from 1987-1992; these may not be included in the minutes index, so these minutes are only accessible by date.
Subseries consists of reports, petitions and other documents submitted to Council as part of the business of a Council. They are mentioned in the Minutes by their titles or by a brief description of their purpose. Only accepted reports were attached to or entered into the Council Minutes. Submissions prior to 1906 were not transferred to the Provincial Archives and may not have been kept by the City. Confidential reports were filed separately for 1991-1996.
Committee of the Whole Council minute. When City Council met to deliberate as a Committee of the Whole, the meeting was either considered a separate meeting, generating a distinct set of minutes, or the proceedings were taken as part of Council proceedings and were thus incorporated with the Council minutes. There are no separate bound Committee of the Whole minutes for the period between 1959 and 1971. From 1980 to 1994, only Special Committee of the Whole minutes were bound separately. <p> Sub-series also contains submissions made to the Committee of the Whole from 1971 to 1996. There are no submissions for January to September 1979, or for the entirety of 1986. In the submission files from 1969, meeting agendas are missing and other material may have been removed. For the period from 1970 to 1977, there are only meeting agendas.</p>
Subseries consists of original signed ordinances, resolutions and by-laws. The Council had the power to make ordinances (which included by-laws) for the good rule, peace, government, welfare of the City and for carrying into effect more fully, all the powers, functions, and offices vested in the mayor, council and the corporation by law. The Clerk was to keep a separate book or register in which true copies of every such ordinance, by-law, alteration or amendment with the dates at which the same were passed by Council and approved by the Governor in Council. Council could also provide for the revision and consolidation of the ordinances which could result in title and numbering changes. The different consolidations (earlier consolidations are in registers or bound volumes) are arranged chronologically. Ordinances within the consolidations are ordered by number.
Subseries consists of finalized resolutions concerning the closure of streets, 1960-1996, and the issuance of debentures, 1991-1996, which were kept with the correspondence exchanged between the City and Municipal Affairs. They are arranged chronologically. Resolutions not requiring provincial approval were recorded as part of the Minutes once moved in Council and passed by a majority vote. <p>Certain resolutions as indicated by the City Charter had to be approved by the Provincial Department of Municipal Affairs before they came into effect.
Subseries consists of the minutes from a variety of special committee meetings. Committees include the Committee on Public Baths; Special Committee on Reception and Entertainment for the Second Canadian Contingent; Committee on Reception to the Second Contingent of Canadian Volunteers for Service in South Africa; Special Committee on Tramway Extension to the West-End; Special Committee on Reception to the "Strathcona Horse" Contingent of Canadian Volunteers for Service in South Africa; Committee on Reception to the Duke of York; Special Committee on Civic Taxation; Special Committee on Brick Buildings; Special Committee Appointed to Enquire into and Report upon Proposed Amendments to the Liquor Licence Act; Harbour Scull Race Championship Committee; Special Committee on Natal Day Celebrations; Special Committee on Superannuation of Officials; Committee on Tenders; Special Committee on Lighting; Special Committee on Church of England Cathedral Site; Board of License Commissioners; Special Committee on Board of Control; Special committee on Public Franchises; Win the War Committee; Halifax Relief Commission and City Advisory Board; Returned Soldiers Reception Committee; Police Committee; Committee on Reception to HRH Prince of Wales; Single Scull Race Harbour Championship Committee; Committee on Board of Commerce; Committee on Aviation; Special Committee on Tuberculosis Hospital; Juries Lists Revising Committee; Special Committee on Vaults and Safes; Board of Vendors Commissioners; Arbitration Committee; Special Committee on Grant to Dalhousie College; Relief Advisory Committee; Special Committee Navy League Taxation Exemption; Special Committee Regarding Canadian National Railway Hotel Assessment; Committee on Cabs; Industrial Committee; Special Committee on the Remodelling of City Hall; Special Committee on Public Utilities; Taxation and Tax Exemption Committee; Investigating Committee; Special Committee on Halifax Harbour Commission Taxes; Street Paving Assessment Committee; Salary Adjustment Committee; Parking Committee; Royal Visit Committee; Salary Revision Committee; Natal Day Sports Committee; Safety Committee; Special Committee Regarding Civic Employees Enlisting for War Service; Civic Defence Committee; Survey Committee; Assessment Committee; Housing Committee; Special Committee on Brittain Report; as well as the minutes of some special investigations.
Subseries consists of administrative orders, including different versions and amendments, as well as some related correspondence and minutes. See list of Administrative Orders attached below. <p> Administrative Orders were passed by Council to govern internal City functions, such as the functions of city departments (Recreation, Health, Planning, Development, interanl Audit, emergency Measures Organization, Halifax Transit Corporation, Fire and Police), and civic procedures such as legal claims, budgets, and hiring/firing. Ordinances, on the other hand governed public functions.
