Council is barred from appointing tonight; formal vote, resolution scheduled for next meeting

Staff explained the legal and procedural limits on action during the discussion item: the council may evaluate candidates and reach an informal consensus, but it cannot make nominations or vote under a discussion item. The staff member said, "you can always make those nominations at the next meeting and vote on them right before the resolution is done," underscoring that formal appointment requires a resolution under the city charter.

The Chair added that an appointment would be temporary—about eight months—and noted filing for the seat is expected to open in December with the election in April, though exact dates are set by the state and were "not specified" in the meeting. The clerk was directed to place the nominations and resolution near the top of the next meeting agenda so the appointee could participate in that meeting if selected.