Lake Jackson council sets June 19 deadline to accept applications for council vacancy; seeks consistent interview questions

Council discussed how to fill the vacancy in Position 3 and set a timeline for applications and interviews. The chair proposed posting the opening immediately and accepting applications for two weeks; councilors agreed on a June 19 deadline and discussed whether to give interview questions to candidates in advance or to ask the same core questions of all interviewees. The chair said the council’s preference is to have the appointee in place by the first July meeting so the new member can attend the budget workshop and be familiar with the budget before being asked to vote on it.

Councilors debated whether the short, remainder-of-term appointment (to next May) would attract candidates willing to invest time for what was described as a partial term; some members urged clarity in the posting that the position fills an unexpired term and that the successful candidate may choose to run later. Staff said they would post the opening on the city website and could extend the process to a special meeting if many applicants required dedicated interview time. The council agreed to require that all interviewees be asked the same core questions during interviews and assigned staff to post the vacancy and gather applications.