Cheney seeks applications for City Council, Planning Commission

City of Cheney officials are looking for two individuals willing to step into leadership positions on a pair of local governing boards left vacant by recent resignations.

City Council Position 2 is now open due to the resignation of long-time Councilman Doug Nixon. Nixon has served in the position since winning election in 2007, but has stepped down due to his recent purchase of, and move to a residence outside of the city limits.

Residency in the city is a requirement for council members, and applicants for the open position must have lived in Cheney for at least one year and must be a registered voter. Nixon would have been up for re-election this fall, and according to a Jan. 9 news release from the city, “To continue in office, the successful candidate will have to run for election to a full, four-year term during the 2019 campaign season.”

Past mayors have asked prospective applicants to be willing to run for the position once their term expires, but that is not the case this time around.

Not a requirement, but we would like to find someone who has an interest in serving long term,” City Administrator Mark Schuller said in an email. “There is a great deal of information that needs to be provided to a new council member and we sure would like to do it once rather than twice for the same council position.”

Applications interested in serving on the council should submit a letter of interest, resume and candidate questionnaire to Mayor Chris Grover at 609 2nd St. no later than 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 25. The candidate questionnaire is available on the City Council page on the city’s website, http://www.cityofcheney.org/237/City-Council.

Applicants will be screened and finalists asked to interview in person with the City Council in an open session of an upcoming meeting. Based on the submitted material and interview, Grover will select one candidate to recommend to the council, who will then make the appointment in February.

Elected council members serve a four-year term, and according to the city’s municipal code are paid $450 per month. The council meets twice a month on the second and fourth Tuesdays, with members asked to serve on various committees.

Each member also receives a laptop computer, router/firewall, modem and printer that enables them “access to the citizens through the city web page to conduct business of the citizenry and with city hall.”

The city is also looking to fill a vacancy on the Cheney Planning Commission, a four-year term through appointment by the mayor. The vacancy was created when former Commissioner Kristine Williams declined to seek reappointment at the end of her term in December, 2018.

The commission serves as an advisory board to the mayor and City Council. According to the municipal code, its primary functions include updating the city’s comprehensive plan for “development of land and building uses of the city and its environs,” handling requested revisions to the zoning map and codes, and conduct hearings on some applications for development.

Applicants for the Planning Commission position must also live in Cheney and be a registered voter. More information and an application form are found at http://www.cityofcheney.org/213/Planning-Commission.

Information about both the council and planning commission positions can also be obtained by calling (509) 498-9200.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].