Commissioners choose appointment process to fill Story County Justice of the Peace vacancy
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Summary
After a presentation from the district attorneyon appointments vs. special elections, the Board of County Commissioners voted to use the appointment process to fill the forthcoming Justice of the Peace vacancy; DA staff will return with a recommended appointment process at the next meeting.
The Board of County Commissioners voted Aug. 19 to fill a future vacancy in the Story County Justice of the Peace office through an appointment rather than a special election. District Attorney Anne Lane and deputy counsel outlined the options and explained an appointee would serve the remainder of Judge Harrington's term through January 2029 if an appointment is made now.
Anne Lane said the board would be asked to choose the mechanism—appointment or special election—and that if the board selected appointment, DA staff would return at the next meeting with proposed ground rules for how that appointment process would proceed. Commissioner Gilman moved to use the appointment option; Commissioner Mitchell seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Why it matters: The Justice of the Peace handles magistrate-level matters; selecting an appointment process sets the timeline and the rules for applications and vetting. The DA and deputy PA Brown committed to return with a detailed recommendation for the appointment procedure at the next meeting.
What’s next: DA staff will prepare proposed selection criteria and a timeline and return with an agenda item for the commission to adopt the mechanics of the appointment process.