Late submissions lead to deadline extended for council applications

The vacant city council seat will stay open a little longer following Tuesday’s meeting. While the city of Creston is zeroing in on a new Ward 3 councilmember, it took lengthy discussions to decide on the procedure.

The position, which officially opened after Jen Worisek’s March 27 resignation, had originally been open for applicants for about 20 days in April, with the deadline being April 28 at 2 p.m. However, of the three applications the city received, two came in after that deadline. Since the April 28 deadline was self-imposed, council members questioned if the two late applicants could be considered.

“I don’t believe that that the deadline’s necessarily hard and fast,” councilmember Jocelyn Blazek said. “I’d definitely like us to consider the largest applicant pool possible.”

Councilmember Jason Cook agreed. “I understand if we have to go by the date, but I also would like us to have as many choices as possible to interview.”

A call was made to city attorney Matt Brick, who spoke with Mayor Doug Daggett and city administrator Mike Taylor in a separate room. It was then relayed that Brick said the council can simply extend the deadline. However, it was suggested the people who applied after the previous deadline reapply. Brick also said the new deadline didn’t have to be published as a public notice as long as the deadline was extended during the meeting.

Councilmember Kiki Scarberry made a motion to extend the application deadline to Friday, May 8 at noon, which was approved 4-0. Councilmembers Josh Thompson and Martin Graham were absent.

However, this wasn’t the end of the conversation. Under “other” on the agenda, councilmembers suggested the mayor appoint a committee to interview the candidates, as that had been done in the past. Blazek explained the council had received complaints in the past regarding open meetings, and the Iowa Public Information Board said it was “best practice” the city always appoint these committees during open meetings. A second call was made to Brick, this time on speaker phone, who said it wasn’t required by law.

“Whether or not it’s best practice is up to you guys to decide what your practices are, but it’s not a violation of law,” Brick said. “You [could do] committee appointments at a later date, not during a public meeting; you wouldn’t necessarily have to do them tonight.”

This was a situation Daggett was more comforable with, as he said he didn’t expect to have to form a committee during the meeting.

Daggett suggested instead of a committee, the applicants be interviewed during the next city council meeting and the council appoint following the interviews. However, councilmembers were worried this would be an HR and personnel issue. Brick concurred.

“At the end of the day, while it’s a political seat, there is retirement involved, there is payment involved,” Brick said. “You would want to treat it very similar to how you end up treating, if any of you have ever done any hiring, how you would treat it hiring an employee.”

The council generally agreed that the mayor could appoint a committee at a later date. Daggett said he hoped to have interviews with applicants by next Thursday, so an applicant can be on the agenda for the following Tuesday.

Any Creston resident that is an eligible voter and resides within Ward 3 can apply to fill the Ward 3 council vacancy. A letter of interest can be sent to the city clerk via email at bleach@crestoniowa.org or mail it to City Clerk, City of Creston, PO Box 449, Creston, IA 50801-0449.

In other council news...

Creston resident Kevin Downey spoke at public forum against making video recordings of the council meetings, saying it would deter residents from coming or speaking at meetings. If the city was set on filming the meetings, Downey suggested working with Creston High School or Southwestern Community College and having students volunteer rather than paying for the service.

The council approved making Creston Public Works Director Kevin Kruse and Creston Accounting Manager Mandy Parsons interim members of the Creston Board of Adjustment Committee until the two vacancies are filled.

Three special event applications were approved for the upcoming months. National Night Out will be held Aug. 4 at the Law Enforcement Center, the Creston Farmers Market will be held at McKinley Park every Monday from June 1 through Aug. 31 and Holy Spirit Catholic Church will host a public profession of faith around the 300 blocks of Maple and Pine streets on June 7.