Fonds 1 consists of administrative, legislative, financial and photographic records documenting the operation of the City of Winnipeg prior to amalgamation.

A substantial part of the fonds consists of records documenting the debates and decisions of Council, such as Council minutes and by-laws. Also included are minutes of the Board of Control, as well as minutes and reports of other standing and special committees of Council. These records cover a wide range of municipal functions, including finance, land use planning, public works, social services and other municipal services.

Some municipal responsibilities are documented in greater detail in departmental records or records of various boards and commissions. These include parks and recreation, public health and planning. General information about the City of Winnipeg, including elected representatives, history, and statistics can be found in City Clerk's Department records.

Records that document the financial history of the City include tax assessment records, auditors reports and financial statements.

Photographic records document the growth of the City and activities of elected officials, municipal employees, and citizens.

Forms part of Fonds 1: Series consists of bound minute books for special committees struck by Council. The minute books are chronological and each one contains minutes for multiple special committees active during a given timeframe. In most volumes, a list of special committees and their respective page numbers are recorded on the first few pages of the volume. Not all special committees appear in volume listings and not all page references are complete. Most special committees have associated correspondence and working papers in addition to minutes. These records are separate from minutes. From about 1924 onward, special committees and their associated files were assigned an alpha-numeric code beginning with the letter "A".

Council established special committees to investigate and manage various projects, issues and questions placed before the City. Special committees were typically struck by a Council motion that outlined committee composition and responsibilities, and permanently adjourned once the issue had been resolved or referred to Council with a recommended course of action.

Forms part of Fonds 1. Series consists of statutory declarations signed by incoming aldermen, mayors and civic officials. Most declarations are made on printed forms and contain the name and position of the person signing the declaration, as well as information on land ownership in the case of persons elected to council. Included in the series are declarations for the first Mayor of the City of Winnipeg, Francis Cornish, and the first City Clerk for the City of Winnipeg, Alexander MacDougall Brown. The series is not complete. Declarations are also found in Series 2, Election Records.

Forms part of Series 6. Subseries consists of a scrapbook assembled by the Water Works Department. It has three distinct parts ranging in subject matter and material.

First part of scrapbook, pages 21 to 103, contains newspaper clippings (1916-1918) primarily from the Winnipeg Free Press and the Winnipeg Tribune. Subject matter covered in clippings relates to the First World War, municipal government, city workers and labour, foreign politics and other contemporary events.

Second part of scrapbook, pages 136 to 144, contains newspaper clippings, postcards, and other prints (1921-1932) relating to the Water Works Department, its employees as well as other city workers and topics.

Third part of scrapbook, pages 145 to 152, contains newspaper clippings, photographs and various ephemera (ca. 1916-1931) that document various city employees most of whom served in the Water Works Department. It profiles the following people in various levels of detail: John Wilson (Meter Reader), Sidney Holloway (Accountant), John MacTavish, H. C. Thompson (City Treasurer), William Rutherford (Head Meter Reader), Frank Lee Hanson, Robert O. White, Herbert Gray (Alderman), James W. Swan, H. Yost, Alexander Dodds (Cashier), M. Henry, M. Craig, G. L. Jackson, J. Martin, H. B. Teasdale, J. Foster, L. E. Fenton, D. C. Montgomery, G. Goodman, M. Henderson, D. W. (Bud) Steuart (Clerk), Hilda V. Mansell, William J. Jones, Miss M. Shields, J. Olsen and more.

Loose newspaper clippings (1946-1947) appear at front of scrapbook.

Pages 1 to 20 are missing; pages 104 to 135 are blank.

Series consists of the following: 1) copper time capsule with tin/lead solder 2) audio recording of the laying of the cornerstone ceremony held on November 30, 1965, 3) envelope submitted by the Police Department containing a list and photos of employees and a photo of the Rupert Avenue Police Station (now demolished), 4) envelope submitted by the Fire Department containing a list and photos of employees, cap badges, uniform buttons, and a procedure manual, 5) envelope submitted by the Signals Department containing a list of employees, 6) envelope submitted by the City Magistrate containing a list and photos of employees and court statistics from 1964.