§ 2-20. Protocol for the filling of a vacancy in the office of a member of the parish council.

(a)

Pursuant to Section 2.04(A) of the Charter, upon the occurrence of a vacancy in the office of the Jefferson Parish Council, the remaining council members shall have thirty (30) days within which to fill the vacancy. The procedure and protocol for filling such vacancy shall be as provided in this Section.

(b)

Upon the occurrence of a vacancy in the office of a member of the Jefferson Parish Council the council chairman shall request each of the remaining council members to nominate a person to fill said vacancy and to submit said nomination to the council clerk within three (3) days of the occurrence of the vacancy. If the chairman has vacated his position, the vice-chairman of the council shall make the request or if both have vacated their positions, the remaining at-large member of the council shall make the request.

(c)

(1)

Each person nominated to fill a vacancy in the Jefferson Parish Council under the procedures in subsections (a) or (b) herein shall, within four (4) days of such nomination, submit to the council clerk a resume and a written statement as to his or her ability, experience and qualifications to meet the evaluation criteria for the office as outlined in subsection (e) herein. Nominees may also submit up to three (3) letters of reference to the parish clerk.

(2)

The parish clerk shall certify all complete submissions from the nominees as required in subsection (c)(1) herein. Nominees failing to submit the required information shall not be considered to fill the vacancy for which they were nominated.

(3)

Copies of all documents submitted by the nominees shall be distributed to the remaining members of the council and shall be made available for download and review by the public by being posted on the parish's web site.

(d)

(1)

The council chairman or a majority of the remaining council members shall call a special meeting, in accordance with the provisions of Article 2, Section 2.06(D) of the Jefferson Parish Charter, to be held not less than two (2) business days nor more than nine (9) days after the deadline for submission from nominees under subsection (c)(1) herein. The notice of the special meeting shall include a statement of the purpose of the meeting to review the submissions from all qualified nominees and to interview all qualified nominees for the vacant office. In lieu of a special meeting, the chairman may schedule this review and interview to occur at a regularly scheduled meeting occurring within this period.

(2)

At this council meeting, the council shall invite all qualified nominees to make presentations to the council and to respond to questions from council members. In addition, the council shall conduct a public interview with each qualified nominee at this special meeting while the remaining nominees are sequestered from the council chamber.

(e)

The council shall evaluate all qualified nominees for the vacant office using relevant criteria, which may include the following:

• Knowledge of the structure and functions of parish government;

• Knowledge of the issues and challenges facing parish government;

• Ability to develop and manage a responsible budget;

• Experience in public administration or public service;

• Expertise in a relevant field such as law, accounting or public administration;

• Ability to respond to public concerns;

• Knowledge of issues and challenges facing parish residents;

• Involvement in community service, neighborhood or business associations or other public contributions to improving the quality of life in the parish; and

• For candidates to fill a vacancy in the office of a district council member, knowledge of issues and challenges facing the constituents of the district.

(f)

(1)

The council chairman or a majority of the remaining council members shall call a second special meeting, in accordance with the provisions of Article 2, Section 2.06(D) of the Jefferson Parish Charter, to be held not less than two (2) business days nor more than nine (9) days after the first meeting called under subsection (d)(1) herein. The notice of this second meeting shall include a statement of the purpose of the meeting to deliberate publicly on the qualified nominations to fill the vacant office, to invite and receive public comment on said nominations; and to appoint a qualified candidate to fill the vacant office in accordance with Article 2, Section 2.04 of the Jefferson Parish Charter. In lieu of a special meeting, the chairman may schedule this review and interview to occur at a regularly scheduled meeting occurring within this period.

(2)

If the council is unable to agree upon a candidate to fill the vacancy at this second council meeting, the council may call additional special council meetings following the procedure set forth in subsection (f)(1) herein as needed to continue deliberations until it reaches a majority consensus on a candidate to fill the vacancy.

(3)

If only one (1) candidate is being considered to fill the vacancy, the council may choose to forgo this second meeting and may instead appoint the candidate to fill the vacancy at the first meeting called in accordance with subsection (d)(1) herein, following the review and interview of the candidate as called for in that subsection.

(g)

All votes by the council to fill any vacancy in the office of the Jefferson Parish council shall be by roll call, with each member of the council's vote taken and recorded separately.

(Ord. No. 23910, § 1, 11-3-10; Ord. No. 24032, § 1, 6-15-11; Ord. No. 25418 , § 1, 8-23-17)