On Jan. 7, Bee Cave City Council convened for a special meeting to address council vacancies following the recent departures of council members Courtney Hohl and Jon Cobb. According to the city’s charter, council is allowed to appoint temporary officials to fill vacancies until a formal election is held in May, and applications are now being accepted. Council has not yet appointed anyone to these seats.
The overview
Applications are now available on the city’s website. According to a statement from the city of Bee Cave, applicants must meet the following requirements to be eligible for appointment:
- Be a United States citizen
- Be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled
- Have not been determined mentally incompetent by a final judgment of the court
- Have not been convicted of a felony
- Be a current resident of Bee Cave and have resided continuously in Bee Cave for 12 months
- Be registered to vote in Bee Cave
A quorum of the council’s remaining members, Kevin Hight, Andrea Willott, Mayor Pro Tem Andrew Clark and Mayor Kara King, was present at the Jan. 7 meeting. Some council members initially questioned whether or not two temporary appointments were actually needed to keep the council operating effectively until May.
After the council discussed their options in executive session, Mayor Pro Tem Clark stated that there appeared to be several situations in which having only four members on council could impede the council’s ability to function effectively.
“We’re down to four [council members]—if for some reason one of us has to miss a meeting, if we don’t appoint anybody, then we’re not going to be able to have that meeting,” Clark said. “There’s also a few provisions in our codes that require a vote of a majority of the full council for certain items, so ... it’s probably a good idea to consider appointing at least one, maybe two, to fill the spot until the election.”
The details
King stated that she was in favor of sending out an application with simple questions pertaining to applicants’ previous experience, professional work and time spent as a resident in Bee Cave.
After applications are received, council will hear from applicants at the beginning of their next meeting Jan. 14. Interview questions will be posed, and if the council shows interest in the candidates, appointments will then be made, King said.
What’s next?
Applications sent out through the city’s website will remain available until 5 p.m. Jan. 13. If council is not interested in any of the candidates presented, the two seats will remain unfilled until May, King said. If they are, one to two council seats could be filled by that week.
