Bee Cave council to solicit applications to fill two council vacancies through Jan. 13

The Bee Cave City Council agreed on Jan. 7 to accept applications through Jan. 13 to fill two open seats on the council and to consider appointments at a future meeting, but made no appointments at the special session.

Council members debated whether to appoint replacements immediately or let voters decide in the upcoming election. The city secretary told the council she had surveyed neighboring cities and provided sample application forms to inform the discussion. Council members said they would publish a simplified application on the city website and social channels and place the applicant interviews and any appointment decision on the next council agenda.

The decision follows council remarks that two vacancies exist with only four seated members present, creating the risk of cancelled meetings if a member is absent. One council member said it would be prudent “to consider appointing at least 1, maybe 2, to fill the spot until the election,” to avoid losing a quorum for routine business. Another council member said the four seated members could handle business until the election and cautioned against giving an appointee the advantage of incumbency.

Resident Carol Killebrew, who identified herself as living at 5410 Great Divide Drive in Bee Cave, urged the council not to appoint anyone, saying appointments confer incumbency advantages and that she would “sacrifice a meeting or 2 here or there in order to have a better and more representative council going forward.”

Council members described a proposed application that would ask for basic background information and professional experience rather than sensitive details such as Social Security numbers. The city secretary said she could post the council’s application template online and on the city’s social channels; the council noted it does not currently use Constant Contact and has asked subscribers to re-subscribe to the city’s notification system.

There was no formal roll-call vote on appointments at the Jan. 7 session. Council members indicated a mutual decision to open the application period through Jan. 13 and to put any appointments on the next agenda for formal consideration.

The council also discussed logistics for accepting and reviewing applications and said it would interview candidates at the start of a future meeting before making any appointment.

Applications will be accepted through Jan. 13; the council did not set a specific interview date but said the item will appear on the next posted agenda for Bee Cave City Council consideration.