Committee of the Whole approves process to fill council vacancy and codifies rules of order, to be considered Jan. 13

At the Committee of the Whole on Jan. 6, President Begay presented two resolutions mandated by Lancaster’s Home Rule Charter: a process to fill the council vacancy created by Councilor Arroyo’s resignation (Resolution 11-20-26) and a resolution establishing rules of order for council business (Resolution 12-20-26).

Resolution 11-20-26 lays out a 45-day process: if adopted, applications will be accepted on the city website after the Jan. 13 meeting through 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, 2026; applicants must be qualified voters, at least 18, and have resided in Lancaster for two years prior to Jan. 5, 2026. Councilors will each submit their top three applicants and three interview questions by 5 p.m. on Tue., Jan. 27; using ranked-choice selection, the council will pick up to five applicants to interview at a special meeting on Feb. 3 at 6 p.m.; interviews will be 15 minutes with two minutes for introductions; the appointment motion will be heard at the Feb. 10 meeting and the new member sworn in that day.

On the rules-of-order resolution, Begay said the draft captures long-standing practice and Robert's Rules principles: comments are limited to three minutes; the president may turn the gavel to another member if the president wishes to participate in debate; committees may, by majority motion, request staff research support; and staff may volunteer information without a formal motion. Councilors asked about transparency and what distinguishes debate from comment; Begay and other members explained debate rules and cautioned about pre-meeting deliberation.

Both resolutions were moved to the Jan. 13 full-council meeting by committee vote and will be posted with final language and application instructions if adopted.