Shawn Linenberger

With Mayor Jason Ward and council member Kara Reed both absent from Monday’s meeting, the council had to appoint one of its members to lead the meeting.

Reed served as mayor pro tem, which means she assumed mayoral duties in the event of the mayor’s absence.

With Reed also absent, the council, by statute, needed a member to volunteer to be pro tem for the meeting or appoint someone. The council appointed Rocky Himpel for the meeting.

Reed announced last month that she would be leaving the council because she was moving. She announced that Monday’s meeting would be her last at that time. She also had asked to be part of the process in naming a successor to serve the rest of her term when she announced. Council members didn’t raise any objections at the time, but during the last council meeting on Oct. 2, Himpel said he thought the council needed more time to make the appointment. The council then voted, 4-1, to extend the process, which allows more time, but keeps the outgoing council member out of the final process.

The city already has received applications for the seat.

With her absence Monday, the Oct. 2 meeting became Reed’s last with the council.