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Council declares Ward One vacancy, sets short application window
Summary
The Crookston City Council declared a vacancy in the Ward One council seat and agreed to open an application period of roughly 10 days, with interviews and a final appointment expected at the Aug. 18 council meeting, Clerk Ashley said.
The Crookston City Council voted to declare a vacancy in the Ward One city council seat and instructed staff to open an application period of roughly 10 days, Clerk Ashley said.
The resolution to declare the vacancy was moved by Council member Clayton and seconded by Council member Derek. After a roll call in which Fisher, Briggs, Cavalier, Breen and Lot indicated assent, the motion carried.
Council members and staff framed the action as an administrative step to start recruitment, not a final appointment. "This one was open from July 22nd to July 31st, which is 10 days," Clerk Ashley said, describing the timeline used previously and recommending a similar window for this vacancy. Staff said applications could be posted as early as the following day and that a short window would still allow time to interview candidates and bring a selection to the Aug. 18 meeting.
Council members discussed whether interviews should be held by the full council or by the advisory board/ways-and-means committee. Staff noted past practice of interviewing candidates before the full council and said the city expects the at-large seat to be filled soon, which would leave the council short only one Ward One seat during interviews. One councilor asked for verbal voting during interviews so the public would know how members voted during selection; staff confirmed the council could use verbal votes rather than handwritten ballots.
Clarifying details discussed included the proposed 10-day application period (modeled on a previous July 22–31 window), a packet assembly timeline that favors closing applications on the 13th–14th to prepare materials, and the possibility of scheduling interviews as part of the Ways and Means agenda so the at-large council member would be seated before the Ward One interviews if timing permits.
The council took the administrative vote to declare the vacancy and directed staff to post the application and return the item for interviews and a final appointment at the Aug. 18 meeting.
