Brookings held a short special City Council meeting Dec. 12 to settle the process for filling an upcoming mayoral vacancy and a related council seat, but made no formal appointments.

The meeting, called to order at 6:01 p.m., centered on whether the council should appoint one of its current members to serve as mayor or select someone from outside the council. "I think bringing on someone from outside of the council into a position of mayor without having any council experience, I think is probably not the best idea," Speaker 2 said, urging preference for an internal appointment.

Several council members signaled their availability or lack thereof. "I'm not interested in it," Speaker 5 said, citing upcoming out-of-town commitments that would conflict with council duties. Speaker 4 said they were "terrified, yes, but willing" to serve if the council desired.

Councilors discussed logistics for interviewing three external applicants who remain under consideration. Speaker 4 said past interviews used a sequestered format with about 15 questions; Speaker 5 suggested the city manager draft a list of questions and circulate them in advance, and Speaker 3 said the city attorney would "glance over" the list to ensure legal propriety. "I have faith in our city manager of coming up with a list of questions to present to the applicants that night," Speaker 5 said.

On sequencing, the council discussed whether to interview candidates first and then deliberate and vote that night, or defer final appointments to the January meeting. Unidentified Speaker summarized the options and said the council could either decide in January or proceed that evening. Speakers also discussed procedural details around whether a councilor must resign before the mayor is appointed; Speaker 3 said staff would verify the parliamentary process and include clarifying information in a staff report.

No motion was made and no vote occurred during the special meeting. The council directed staff to prepare interview questions and confirm procedural steps in the staff report. The meeting adjourned at 6:17 p.m.