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Home My WebLink About10D - City Council Vacancy MEETING DATE: AGENDA #: PREPARED BY: AGENDA ITEM: DISCUSSION: 16200 Eagle Creek Avenue S.E. Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714 CITY COUNCIL AG~DA REPORT December 4, 2006 (\f\ ~ 10D ~~_\\\~ Frank Boyles, City Manager / CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE RESIGNATION OF CITY COUNCILMEMBER CHERI DORNBUSH, DECLARING A VACANCY ON THE CITY COUNCIL, AND PROPOSING A PROCEDURE FOR FILLING THE CITY COUNCIL VACANCY. Historv At its November 20, 2006, meeting, City Councilmember Cheri Dornbush re- signed her seat on the City Council effective December 31, 2006. Cheri ex- pressed regret that she would be leaving the Council, but explained that she will be getting married in January and will be moving to Seattle, WA. City Councilmembers must reside within the City and, therefore, the necessity to tender her resignation. Although Cheri is not expected to leave Prior Lake until the end of the year, she indicated that the timing of her announcement to re- sign was intended to give the City Council the opportunity to interview individu- als who may potentially be appointed to fill her vacated seat in January 2007. Current Circumstances According to MN Stat. ~412.02, subd., 2a, vacancy, "except as otherwise pro- vided in subdivision 2b, a vacancy in an office shall be filled by Council ap- pointment until an election is held as provided in this subdivision. In the case of a tie vote in the Council, the Mayor shall make the appointment... II Councilmember Dornbush's term of office expires on December 31, 2009. Under the statutes, the Council may appoint a person to serve on the Council until the next regular election (in this case through November, 2007). After the election, the elected candidate will serve the remainder of the term (January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009). In the past, the Council has followed a procedure to fill vacancies. The proc- ess is outlined below: 1. A vacancy announcement is prepared and appears in two editions of the City's official newspaper to solicit candidates. (Also in This Week and on the Website) 2. All candidates are interviewed by the Council in a public meeting. Each candidate receives a list of questions so they can prepare. Councilmem- bers also ask follow-up questions which are not shared in advance with the candidates. The interviews are cablecast. Applicants are asked to attend only their own interview session. 3. At the regular meeting of the City Council, the candidates would be dis- cussed and an appointment made by the Council. www.cityofpriorlake.com Phone 952.447.4230 I Fax 952.447.4245 ISSUES: ALTERNATIVES: RECOMMENDED MOTION: Attached is a schedule of activities adapted from the procedure previously used. It provides for a vacancy notice to be published in the Prior Lake Ameri- can, solicits applications, outlines when applications are due and the proce- dure and timeline that will be followed. The Council should consider whether this is a sufficient notice and recruitment timeline. The schedule also assumes that a Special Council Meeting will be conducted on Tuesday, January 2,2007, prior to the regular Council meeting. Can all Councilmembers be present on that date? In the past, the Council has inter- viewed all applicants rather than narrowing the group to finalists. This process proposes to interview each individual who submits an application. Under the proposed timeline, the new Councilmember would be appointed at the January 2,2007, meeting and be sworn in at the January 16, 2007, meeting. Since the January 2,2007, meeting is the annual meeting, the new Council- member could not participate in committee assignments unless these actions were deferred until the January 16, 2007, meeting. I am also included the following documents to assure that the Council is com- fortable with each. 1. Notice of Vacancy entitled, "Council Seeks New Member." 2. Application for the City Council vacancy (which includes the interview ques- tions). It would be appropriate for the City Council to determine if they are comfortable with the five candidate questions proposed on the application form. 1. Adopt Resolution 06-xxx accepting the resignation of Councilmember Dornbush, declaring a vacancy on the City Council, and approving the process and timeline for filling the position by Council appointment from January 16, 2007, to December 31,2007. 2. Adopt the resolution with amendments. 3. Take no action and provide the staff with additional direction. Alternative #1. 16200 Eagle Creek Avenue S.E. Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714 RESOLUTION 06-xxx A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE RESIGNATION OF COUNCILMEMBER DORNBUSH, DECLARING A VACANCY ON THE CITY COUNCIL, AND ESTABLISHING A PROCEDURE FOR FILLING THE VACANCY Motion By: Second By: WHEREAS, On November 20, 2006, City Councilmember Cheri Dornbush submitted a resignation from the City Council to be effective December 31,2006; and WHEREAS, The City Council desires to establish a procedure to fill the vacancy created by Councilmember Dornbush's resignation in order that a full five-member City Council be in place as of January 2007 to address the challenging policy and development issues that face the City; and WHEREAS, The individual appointed to fill Councilmember Dornbush's seat will serve through December 31,2007, with the remained of the term (January 1,2008 - December 31, 2009) to be open for election in the next regular election (November 2007); and WHEREAS, The City staff has proposed a procedure and timeline for filling that vacancy that provides for public notification, solicitation of applicants, and candidate selection by January 2007. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA as follows: 1. The recitals set forth above are incorporated herein. 2. The resignation of City Councilmember Cheri Dornbush is hereby accepted effective December 31, 2006. 3. A vacancy on the City Council of the City of Prior Lake is declared to exist effective January 1, 2007, at 12:01 a.m. 4. The selection process and timeline set forth in the City Manager's Report dated December 4, 2006, is hereby approved, and the City Manager is authorized to implement the process for filling the vacancy. PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 4th DAY OF DECEMBER 2006. YES NO Haugen Dornbush Erickson LeMair Millar Haugen Dornbush Erickson LeMair Millar Frank Boyles, City Manager www.cityofpriorlake.com Phone 952.447.4230 / Fax 952.447.4245 16200 Eagle Creek Avenue S.E. Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714 City Council Seeks New Member The Prior Lake City Council is accepting applications to fill a 12-month City Council term expiring December 31, 2007. The vacancy on the city Council was created by the resignation of City Councilmember Cheri Dornbush, which will be effective December 31, 2006. Applicants must be 21 years of age and reside within the corporate limits of the City of Prior Lake (for a minimum of thirty days). Council meetings occur the first and third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. Work sessions are typically scheduled preceding each regular Council meeting at 5 p.m. Councilmembers are also responsible for attending other periodic day or evening meetings. Candidates can expect to spend seven to fifteen hours weekly on Council duties (meetings, site visits, telephone calls and reading agenda materials). Councilmember receive $595 per month plus per diem for certain eligible meetings. More information on the selection process or an application form can be found on the City's website, www.cityofuriorlake.comor by contacting Charlotte Green at 952-447-9803 or cQreen@citvoforiorlake.com. - - Completed applications and materials will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on December 23,2006. www.cityofpriorlake.com Phone 952.447.4230 / Fax 952.447.4245 City Council Application Form This application is for residents of Prior Lake interested in serving an appointment to fill a one-year City Council term expiring December 31,2007. Applicants must be 21 years of age and currently reside in the City of Prior Lake a minimum of thirty days. Councilmembers receive $595 per month plus per diem fees. Councilmembers are expected to participate in two regular meetings per month as well as various work sessions. Approximately seven to fifteen hours per week is required for City Council duties including meetings, site visits, telephone calls and review of agenda materials. Please return this form to the attention of Charlotte at careenlWcitvoforiorlake.com; or return to the City of Prior Lake administrative offices, 16776 Fish Point Road SE, Prior Lake, MN 55372. Submit any additional materials to this application that you deem helpful for the selection process. Date: Name: Address: Phone (H): (W): E-mail: Please indicate if you would be available to participate in interviews on January 2,2007, in the afternoon: Yes No Briefly describe your qualifications including education, business and volunteer experience, including current job F)osition. (Please attach resume). [:\COCl\CIL \COU;..JCIL \'ACA~..JCIESapplication.DOC Describe your interest in this position and what attributes you would bring to the City Council that would help in serving our community. If you could wave a magic wand and improve Prior Lake in one significant way, what would it be? Why? Please list any references that we may contact: I Name _ r-- i I II Phone or other .contact information II II II All candidates will be asked to appear before the City Council at a televised Special Meeting on January 2,2007, to present a ten-minute response to the following questions: 1. What are the two or three most significant actions the City Council took in the last three years? Why do you say that? 2. In your opinion, what elements of the City's 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan are the most critical over the next two years? 3. Over the next several years, the City will continue to face issues directly related to the management of growth. In your opinion, what are the most strategic areas of focus for the City Council to manage that growth, both from a policy and financial perspective? 4. The City's 2030 Strategic Plan focuses on developing partnerships within the community. Discuss the community partnerships you find most valuable to the community and how the City could develop or strengthen those partnerships. 5. Communication is one of the most important aspects of serving our public. In our opinion, what is the single most important action the Council can take to improve its communication program? My signature confirms that I recognize that my failure to sign or accurately complete this application, or if I falsify information in this application, I will automatically be disqualified from consideration or service. Signature: If submitting this application electronically, it is acceptable to type your name in on the signature line in lieu of your written signature. As part of the selection process, written consent may be required to allow city representatives to make inquiries about you that are germane to the Council. Failure to provide such consent will be disqualification from further consideration. I: \ CO Ul\ ClL \COU~ ClL V ,\CA~ ClES\applica tion .DOC