[Ord. #75-07, § 1; Ord. #84-04; 1958 Code § 2.22-8;
Ord. #97-02; Ord. #98-07, § 1]
a. Council members who have the power to make appointments to boards,
commissions, committees or other advisory bodies shall make such appointments
within forty-five (45) days after the beginning of that council member's
term of office. If a council member fails to appoint during such time,
the appointments may be made by the City Council as a whole.
b. Upon the expiration of an appointee's term, the appointee shall continue
to serve until replaced or reappointed. If there are multiple appointees
to a board, commission, committee or other advisory body whose term
has expired, they shall be replaced in the order which they were originally
appointed.
[Added 10-16-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-05]
In accordance with the Albany City Charter Section 5.02, the
following outlines the procedures for filling vacant seats on the
City Council by appointment. Upon notification that a member of the
Albany City Council has vacated office, the following procedures shall
be followed:
a. If a vacancy on the City Council occurs within 45 days before the certification of the election to 182 days after certification of an election, it shall be filled by the City Council by appointment of the candidate not elected for a contested City Council seat who received the highest number of votes, provided said candidate received at least three-fourths (3/4) of the election threshold as defined in Municipal Code Section
7-1.4.
1. If no candidate received three-fourths of the election threshold
or a second vacancy occurs within the time period, the Council shall
follow the procedures specified in paragraph c below.
b. If there are two vacancies simultaneously within 45 days before the
certification of the election to 182 days after certification of an
election, if one seat has a longer period to the end of its regular
term, it shall be filled using the procedure specified in paragraph
a above, while the other will be filled using the procedure specified
in paragraph c below. If there is no difference in the time to the
end of the regular term of each seat otherwise, one shall be filled
using the procedure specified in paragraph a above, while the other
will be filled using the procedure specified in paragraph c below.
c. If a vacancy occurs outside the time period specified in paragraph
a, no runner up in that period receives the threshold of voter support
required for appointment in that period, a candidate who is eligible
declines to accept the appointment, or a second vacancy occurs in
that period, the Council shall follow the procedure specified in this
paragraph.
1. Pre-Application: Within two weeks of the vacancy of a City Council
seat, the City Council shall have a meeting to discuss and develop
an application.
2. Application: an application will be distributed that shall generally
request information from the candidate regarding qualifications for
and interest in serving on the City Council.
3. Application Period: the application period shall be for a duration
of two weeks.
4. Application Publishing: upon receipt of completed applications, the
City Clerk shall post the name of applicant on the City's website,
with the option to also include the candidate's email if authorized
by the candidate. After the close of the application period, all applications
received shall be posted to the same webpage.
5. Applicant ability to withdraw: applicants shall have the ability
to withdraw themselves for consideration of appointment to the vacant
seat on the City Council. This withdrawal must be submitted in writing
to the City Clerk.
6. Selection process: the City Council shall hold a public meeting to
review all applications received and conduct the following steps towards
selection of an appointee:
(a)
All applicants shall address the City Council with an opening
statement that indicates their interest in serving as a Member of
the City Council;
(b)
The City Council will conduct a question-and-answer period with
the applicants, which is to be moderated by the Mayor, or the Vice
Mayor in the case of a vacancy in the position of Mayor.
7. Balloting: in the meeting after the question-and-answer period, the
City Council shall conduct a repeated open balloting process to appoint
an applicant to the vacant seat of the City Council. The repeated
balloting process shall include up to 10 rounds of balloting. If a
tie exists after 10 rounds of balloting, then the Mayor, or the Vice
Mayor in the case of a vacancy in the position of Mayor, shall select
the applicant that the City Council shall appoint.
[Ord. #78-016; 1958 Code § 2.0; Ord. #93-04]
The City Council may by resolution adopt policies and procedures
to govern the operation and conduct of its meetings. Any such resolution
adopted by the City Council may be modified from time to time by the
City Council.