Council positions nominations papers available

Declarations of candidacy for the fall city council elections will be accepted by city clerk Nina Patterson from Aug. 29 to Sept. 9.

The election for the four-year positions currently held by Mayor Tom Rist and councilmen Russ Anderson and Geoff Schroeder will be held Nov. 8.

Rist and Anderson are expected to seek re-election but Schroeder has said he will not run again. Council races are "at large" positions, meaning that the two candidates with the most votes will be elected to the two seats up for election.

There are two options for a candidate to have their name appear on the ballot. The first, and most common, is to turn in a nominating petition signed by five registered voters in the city. The second method is to simply pay a $40 filing fee.

All candidates must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen, and, have resided in the city for at least 30 days at the time of filing of his/her declaration as a renter or property owner. It is not enough to simply own property in the city. The candidate must actually have their primary residence here, which is based upon where they file their homeowners exemption.

Once the appropriate number of signatures has been obtained on a nominating petition the candidate must go to the Elmore County Election Office in the county courthouse and request certification that the signatures on the petition represent qualified electors. The county clerk will attach a certificate of authenticity to the petition, which must then be returned to the city clerk for final verification and filing prior to the close of filing at 5 p.m. on Sept. 9. All filing documents must be notarized. The city clerk can do that.

Forms for filing are now available from the city clerk and may be picked up during normal business hours. Call 587-2104 for more information.

The mayor and council members are required to attend regular meetings of the city council, usually twice a month but sometimes more if special meetings or work sessions are called.

Council-members are also appointed by the mayor to serve as liaisons to different advisory boards or committees in the community, such as the Parks and Recreation Board, DIG-IT, Library Board, Airport Board, Traffic Safety Board, Golf Board, Historical Museum and Arts Council. It is compulsory for council liaisons to attend those board meetings. In addition they may also be assigned as a liaison to a city department not covered by a board, such as city hall, public works, the fire department and the police department.

The mayor and council members are required to obey all state laws, including the open meetings law. They assist with the setting of long-range goals for the city, read and digest volumes of reports prepared by staff, other agencies and citizens, represent the city at civic and community functions, field concerns from citizens at any time or place, work with area legislators on issues related to cities and travel outside the local area to attend meetings and workshops.

The mayor is considered a full-time employee of the city and is expected to keep and maintain regular work hours, plus all other commitments. The council members are considered part-time employees of the city and qualify for benefits, but not vacation or sick leave. All elected positions are exempt from overtime pay, including comp time.

The mayor's salary is $3,727 per month. Council members are paid $850 per month.