Council clears up vacancy language: 'reside' for 30 days and 60‑day meeting absence

During the work session the City Attorney read a revised version of section 4.1 that the Charter Review Committee proposed to remove ambiguity between physical absence and absence from meetings. Larson read: "An elected office shall be deemed vacant upon the incumbent's death, insanity, conviction of a felony, resignation, beginning a term of a different City Of Sweet Home elected office, ceasing to reside in the city for a period of 30 days or more ... or upon the incumbents' absence from meetings of the council for 60 days without the consent of the council."

Councilors expressed broad support for specifying "reside" to avoid a reading that would remove someone merely because they were temporarily out of town. After discussion, the council coalesced around keeping a 30‑day residency threshold for removing a person who no longer lives in the city and a 60‑day unexcused meeting absence as a vacancy trigger. Several councilors asked that the phrase 'without the consent of the council' be linked to council rules so procedures for excusing absences are clear and adjustable without another charter amendment.

City Attorney Larson noted that declaring a seat vacant carries constitutional due‑process implications and that any vacancy finding should include an opportunity for the member to respond. The council asked staff to add an ending clause indicating that excusal and consent procedures will be specified in the council rules and to return the edited paragraph for final review.

Next procedural step: staff will produce the revised 4.1 paragraph with the agreed phrasing and the linking language to council rules for council consideration.