Sidney seeks new council member

SIDNEY -- With the resignation of vice-mayor Roger Gallaway, the Sidney City Council is seeking a new member.
Interested residents have until 5 p.m. June 23 to submit a letter of interest and resume to the city clerk. Submitted applications are passed on to the mayor for review. The council then approves or denies the recommendation of the mayor.
Gallaway notified the city council of his intention to resign during the last city council meeting. As of this morning, the city has received no applications for the open position.
Nebraska State Statute 32-568 allows local municipalities to fill a vacancy by appointment through the remainder of the open term.
"(1) If any vacancy occurs in the office of city council member of a city of the metropolitan class, the remaining members of the council shall appoint a person to fill such vacancy from the district in which the vacancy occurred for the remainder of the term. The person thus appointed shall qualify and give bond as by law provided for council members elected to such office. A vacancy in the office of mayor of a city of the metropolitan class shall be filled as provided by local law."
In State Statute 32-569 Vacancies in city and village elected offices; procedure for filing, paragraph (1)(a) states "Except as otherwise provided…vacancies in city and village elected offices shall be filled by the mayor and council for the balance of the unexpired term.…Notice of a vacancy, …shall be in writing and presented to the council… at a regular or special meeting and shall appear as a part of the minutes of such meeting. The council shall at once give public notice of the vacancy by causing to be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the city or posting in 3 public places the office vacated and the length of the unexpired term.
The mayor shall call a special meeting of the council or place the issue of filling such vacancy on the agenda at the regular meeting at which time the mayor shall submit the name of a qualified registered voter to fill the vacancy for the balance of the unexpired term. The regular or special meeting shall occur …within 4 weeks after the meeting at which the notice of vacancy has been presented."