JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Jefferson City Council advanced a proposal Monday that would change how vacant council seats are filled, but not before changing some of its original language.  Under the original proposal, the mayor would publicly announce a vacancy after it occurs. Council members and the mayor would then be allowed to submit one nominee each, accompanied by a resume. Each nomination would require a second from another council member. Residents would an opportunity to submit questions or comments to their council representative before nominees appear before the council at a subsequent meeting. The council would then vote on a replacement, and the selected candidate would be sworn in during the same meeting. The proposal comes after two council resignations this past year. Third Ward Councilman Derek Thomas' resignation takes effect Tuesday after he announced in April that he would step down because of family medical issues that require him to move out of Missouri. Thomas' departure follows the resignation of former Second Ward Councilman Aaron Mealy in March. The council later appointed Cody Holt to fill that seat. However, the process of replacing Mealy sparked debate among council members, with several expressing frustration over what they described as an outdated and confusing appointment process. Before Monday's meeting, Ward 4 Councilman Chris Lueckel told ABC 17 News that Thomas' seat would likely remain vacant for several weeks. However, he said council members expected to have a clearer timeline for filling the vacancy after discussing the proposed ordinance during the next City Administration Committee meeting. The proposal was introduced on Monday and is intended to address those concerns by creating a more clear and streamlined process for future vacancies. "There was some discussion by the council that they weren't happy with the process that was in the code, and we showed them various options, and this is the option that was selected," Attorney for the city Nathan Nickolaus said. Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Ahlers said the original language had already been discussed extensively during a previous city administration committee meeting.  He added that committee members spent more than an hour discussing four different options before unanimously recommending the proposal to the full council. However, Ward 2 Councilman Mike Lester proposed an amendment that would require at least two weeks to pass between a council member's resignation and the nomination process, giving residents more time to weigh in on potential candidates. Part of his amendment also included removing the mayor from the nomination process. Under Lester's proposal, only council members representing a specific ward would be allowed to nominate candidates. "The mayor's nominee may have more influence on the outcome," Lester argued during the meeting. "Is this what the council wants? It may look good now but not so good when another mayor less favorable to your point of view is in office." Nickolaus pushed back on that argument, noting the mayor is considered part of the council under the local government structure and that previous versions of the ordinance also allowed the mayor to make nominations. After a lengthy discussion, Lester's amendment was approved on a 6-4 vote.  The measure still requires a second reading and final approval before taking effect. The post Jefferson City Council advances proposal to change how vacant seats are filled appeared first on ABC17NEWS. ...read more read less