City accepts applications for Ward 3 seat

Applications are currently being accepted to fill the Camas City Council Ward 3 seat. The position has been vacant since Monday, June 27, when Scott Higgins resigned following his appointment to serve as Camas mayor. Former Mayor Paul Dennis resigned as of May 31 to accept the position of director of the Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association. Applications for the Ward 3, Position 2 seat, available at www.ci.camas.wa.us, must be hand-delivered to Camas City Hall by Friday, July 15. Submissions made by U.S. mail, e-mail or fax will not be accepted. The application requests brief candidate background information and includes a questionnaire that addresses several topics including reasons the candidate wants to serve on the City Council; experiences, talents or skills a candidate can offer; and candidates' views on how the city should address budget challenges and other significant obstacles facing the city of Camas. On Monday, July 25, a special meeting is scheduled at 4:30 p.m., so that the City Council can conduct public interviews of the candidates and then appoint an individual to serve a portion of the remaining 2.5 years of the Ward 3 term, from July 25 through Dec. 5, 2011. The person to serve the rest of the term, from Dec. 5, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2013, will be determined in the Nov. 8 General Election. The Clark County Elections Office announced last week that a three-day filing period for candidates would open on Wednesday and run through Friday at 5 p.m. Candidate filings can be made in person at the Clark County Elections Department, 1408 Franklin St., Vancouver, or sent by U.S. mail. The seven-member City Council is responsible for setting policy, adopting the annual budget and laws, determining the services the city provides and the funding levels for those services, and confirming the mayor's appointments of citizens to its advisory boards, commissions and committees. Meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of each month. According to the application, the duties of a City Council member could involve an average minimum commitment of 15 to 25 hours per month for preparation, participation, and attendance at various meetings, and community activities. Council members earn a monthly stipend of $500. The City of Camas provides municipal services to a population of more than 18,000 people and employs approximately 171 individuals who help provide police, fire, ambulance service and emergency aid, street maintenance, sanitation, recreation, library, public improvements, planning and zoning, water supply treatment and distribution, and sewage collection and treatment services. For more information, contact City Administrator Lloyd Halverson at 817-1541 or Clark County Elections at 397-2345.

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