Bowling Green City Hall
Researchers interested in the history of local government can access original minutes of the Bowling Green City Council at WKU’s Special Collections Library. The minutes document meetings of the Board of Councilmen from 1948-1967, the Board of Aldermen from 1955-1967, and the Board of Commissioners from 1968-1987. Why the different names? In March 1952, Bowling Green established a bicameral system of government in which a four-person Board of Aldermen shared legislative duties with the Board of Councilmen. On January 1, 1968, Bowling Green officially eliminated the bicameral body and adopted a “city manager” form of government with a mayor and Board of Commissioners. The minutes trace this evolution of city government and record matters of city business including passage of ordinances, annexations, purchases and sales of city property, employee appointments and salaries, building permits, bond issues, and rezonings. A finding aid for the collection is available here.
A related collection consists of the typescripted minutes of the city trustees of Bowling Green covering the years 1823 to 1868. These are also available in the Special Collections Library.