Council Vacancy

Filling a vacancy:

City Charter governs that Council shall declare a vacancy to exist by resolution and shall post and publish notice of vacancy and after thirty (30) days, appoint and eligible person to fill the vacancy until the next Municipal election. 

The law that governs is Minnesota Statutes Section 412.02 subdivision 2a.  It provides that when less than two years remain in the unexpired term, there need not be a special election to fill the vacancy and the appointed person shall serve until the qualification of a successor.  There are less than two years remaining in the term of the vacated office, therefore Council can appoint someone to fill the vacancy in the office of Mayor and there would not need to be a special election.

Note that if a Council Member with more than two years remaining in their term were appointed Mayor, then the Council would need to appoint someone to fill the vacancy created by the Council Member becoming Mayor and there would need to be special election at the next regularly scheduled election which would be November 2024 to fill the Council Member’s remaining unexpired term.  The appointed person would fill the vacancy until the successor is elected at the special election and qualifies for office.

To be eligible to hold office the individual must be:

• A qualified City voter,
• At least 21 years of age on the date of taking office,
• A U.S. citizen, and
• A resident of the City of St. Francis for at least 30 days before the election.

To apply for a vacancy, submit a letter of interest along with a completed application to the City Clerk prior to vacant position deadline.