Council passes resolution declaring council vacancy; sets appointment timeline and interview process

LAFAYETTE — Lafayette City Council unanimously approved Resolution 2025-81, formally declaring a vacancy on the council following Mayor J.D. Mangat’s resignation and starting the statutory 45-day clock to fill the seat.

Assistant City Manager Alex Nelson briefed council on two options for the appointment timeline. Option 1 would follow the regular January meeting cadence with applications due Dec. 31 and interviews scheduled as part of January meetings. Option 2 — which council favored because it accommodated several members’ calendars — would post the application earlier and use a special meeting between Jan. 6 and Jan. 20 for interviews. Nelson noted that, if the resolution were passed that evening, the council would need to fill the vacancy within 45 days (which would require filling the seat by Jan. 30, 2026 under the timeline Nelson described).

Council debated scheduling; after discussing conflicts, councilmembers identified a tentative special meeting window and later settled on a plan that would determine applicants at the Jan. 6 meeting and hold interviews the week after (council discussed the ninth as a candidate interview date at the regular council time of 5:30 p.m.). Councilors also agreed not to require resumes at the initial application stage but to request them for candidates selected for interviews.

Councilor Jensen moved to approve Resolution 2025-81; the motion carried unanimously by voice vote.

The resolution begins the city code timeline for filling the seat and staff said they will post the application and timeline materials online.