District 1 Councilman Richardson Submits Resignation
District 1 City Councilman Bill Richardson submitted a written resignation to Mayor Dwain Morrison this morning.
According to a Texas Attorney General opinion, the resignation will become effective once it is approved or accepted by the City Council or once eight days have passed since receipt of the resignation.
The City Council will meet at 9 a.m. Thursday to engage in its annual strategic planning session. City Clerk Bryan Kendrick said a special meeting may be called prior to the planning session Thursday morning for the Council to consider acceptance of Councilman Richardson’s resignation and to discuss its options for filling the seat.
Under the city charter, vacancies of any elected City office can be filled by a unanimous vote of the remaining City Council members for the unexpired term. The District 1 seat’s term ends in May 2019.
If a unanimous vote cannot be obtained within 30 days of the effective date of the vacancy, a special election shall be called for the first uniform election date under state law. Kendrick, the City’s chief elections officer, said the Council could at its March 7 meeting call a special election to be held in conjunction with the May 6 City Council election. That election will fill the mayor’s post and the District 2, 4 and 6 seats for the next four years.