Urbandale Council Will Appoint Resident to Fill Forbes Vacant Seat

A vacancy left on the Urbandale City Council could be filled by the end of December.

The Urbandale City Council accepted Councilman John Forbes' resignation, effective Dec. 12, during Monday's council meeting.

Forbes was elected to serve as the representative for Iowa House District 40 last week.

"I want to thank you all for your words of encouragement," Forbes said during the meeting. "It's not easy leaving such a great group of people. I look forward to serving you in a different capacity in January."

The council determined the best way to fill the vacancy was to appoint a resident to the council.

The city will publish a notice of intent to appoint in the Nov. 23 issue of the Des Moines Register. Urbandale residents who are at least 18 years old may submit applications for the post.

Applications will be accepted until Dec. 3. At that point the council will schedule time to interview the candidates.

City Attorney Bob Laden said the council doesn't necessarily have to appoint a resident who submits an application, but historically that has been the case.

The council also discussed the possibility of holding a special election to fill the seat.

The timeframe and cost of a special election were taken into consideration when deciding to forego the option.

The cost would be between $12,000 and $14,000 and the schedule would have put it close to the next general election in fall 2013.