The board of trustees held a special meeting Sept. 13 to discuss MacKay’s resignation and the next steps to fill the Place 5 vacancy. MacKay began his first term with the board Nov. 2016 and won re-election in Nov. 2020. His current term was set to expire in 2024. Since he had more than a year left in his term, the board is legally required to fill the vacancy within 180 days. The board has two options to fill the vacancy: either call a special election or appoint a board member. The board did not make a decision on which option they would choose during the meeting.
According to attorney and board counsel Holly Wardell, it may be too late to put the item on the ballot for this November election, but a special election can be called on any date that is not a traditional election date. The shared cost with the county for the Nov. 2020 election was $153,797, Wardell said.
“There is a significant cost associated with (an election),” Wardell said. “I have not been able to come up with an exact cost. We would have to work with the county and get an agreement to borrow their voting machines.”
MacKay was not present at the special meeting and the board nor MacKay disclosed his reasons for his resignation.
