Camas seeks applicants for city council seat

Applications to serve in the Ward 2 position on the Camas City Council are currently being accepted.

Those who are interested in filling the vacancy should submit an application by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, 2015. Applicants must have resided within city limits for at least one year prior to the appointment and be registered to vote.

The application includes a questionnaire, that addresses topics including reasons the applicant wants to serve on the city council, how to address budget issues, and what challenges the city is facing. It also provides an opportunity to mention additional background information about applicable experiences, talents and skills that would be applicable to the position.

The interviews are scheduled for Monday, Jan. 26, during a special meeting that will begin at 4:30 p.m., at City Hall. Council is expected to appoint an individual to serve a portion of the remaining 2.75 years of the Ward 2 term, from Feb. 1, 2015, through Dec. 7, 2015.

The person to serve the rest of the term, from Dec. 7, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2017, will be determined in the Nov. 3, 2015, general election.

The seven-member city council is responsible for setting policy, adopting the annual budget, adopting laws, determining the services the city provides and the funding levels for those services, and confirming the mayor’s appointments of citizens to advisory boards, commissions and committees.

According to a press release, the duties of a city council member could involve an average minimum commitment of 20 to 40 hours per month for preparation, participation, and attendance at various meetings, and community activities.

Council members earn a monthly stipend of $750 and a $25 per month technology allowance.

The person appointed would succeed Linda Dietzman, who announced on Nov. 17 her intention to resign as of Jan. 31, 2015. She has served on the city council for 11 years.

The last time a member of the City Council was appointed was in July 2011, when Shannon Turk, a management analyst for the City of Vancouver, was unanimously selected to serve in the Ward 3, Position 2 seat.

The City of Camas, which operates under a council-mayor form of government, provides municipal services to a population of more than 20,000 people and employs approximately 180 individuals who help provide police, fire, ambulance service and emergency aid, street maintenance, sanitation, recreation, library, planning, water supply treatment and distribution, and sewage collection and treatment services.

Applications are available online at www.cityofcamas.us or at City Hall, 616 N.E. Fourth Ave. Ward maps can be found at www.cityofcamas.us/index.php/wardinfo.

For more information, contact City Administrator Pete Capell at 834-6864 or pcapell@cityofcamas.us.