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Council adopts Oct. 28 declaration timeline to start filling vacant seat; formal resolution to follow
Summary
The city clerk recommended declaring a council vacancy Oct. 28 so petition circulation, signature verification and appointment can align with the Nov. election certification and allow the new appointee to be sworn in with the newly elected council. Council asked staff to return with a resolution at the Oct. 28 meeting.
City Clerk Joni Carnille outlined a proposed timeline for declaring the vacancy created by the seat held previously by Dietrich Duncan and for processing candidate petitions under the city charter.
Carnille said declaring the vacancy at the Oct. 28 meeting would allow the clerk's office to make petitions available Oct. 29, verify signatures following submission, and deliver applicant packets to council by Nov. 24. That schedule would start the 15-calendar-day appointment timeline in the charter and would set an appointment date of Dec. 9, giving newly appointed members the opportunity to be sworn in with the newly elected council.
"If we declared the vacancy on Nov. 4, we wouldn't have any more information than we will on Oct. 28," Carnille told the council and recommended the earlier declaration to give applicants time to cure petitions and to allow the clerk verification time.
Several council members said the Oct. 28 plan was a reasonable compromise; the council asked staff to return with a resolution to declare the vacancy at the Oct. 28 meeting. Council later approved a separate motion, carried 6-0, to move the Dec. 2 council meeting to Dec. 9 to align with the appointment timeline.
