REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Oliver Chi, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Oliver Chi, City Manager
Subject:
title
Determination of City Council Vacancy Appointment Process
body
Statement of Issue:
Former Mayor Pro Tem Jacob "Tito" Ortiz resigned his seat on the City Council effective June 1. Pursuant to Section 312 of the Huntington Beach Charter, vacancies are to be filled by an appointment of the City Council within 60 days. Further, the Charter stipulates that if the City Council fails to fill the vacancy within the specified timeframe, a special election must then be held to fill the vacant role.
Since the mid-1990s, the City has had to fill a vacancy on the City Council three separate times. After reviewing those past practices, staff would recommend adopting an appointment process that includes the following assessment components:
* Submittal of applications from interested individuals
* Introductory interviews for applicants to address the City Council
* Final deliberation and selection of the individual to fill the vacancy
If the City Council is unable to select an individual to fill the vacancy by July 31, 2021, the City will be required then to fill the seat through an election. Given that timeframe, the proposed assessment and appointment process timeline is suggested to be as follows:
* June 11 - June 25: Applications accepted from interested residents until 5 p.m. on June 25
* July 9 - 11 (exact dates TBD): Conduct interviews with applicants during a public meeting
* July 20: Appointment to the vacant seat would be considered at the July 20 meeting
Financial Impact:
There are minimal costs associated with coordinating the selection process as outlined above.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Finalize the City Council vacancy appointment process to include application submittals, introductory interviews, and final deliberation and selection by the City Counci...
Click here for full text