Letters of Interest are now being accepted for an open position on the Fort Scott City Commission. Candidates must reside in the territorial limits of the city of Fort Scott and shall be a qualified elector under the Constitution of the state of Kansas (Ordinance No. 3289). This position is to fill a vacancy created on May 22, 2024, with the resignation of the sitting Commissioner. The term for this position expires December of 2025 and the successor will be determined in the next election.
The following time commitments are general guidelines to be considered before submitting your Letter of Interest: 1) Regular City Commission meetings are held the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month beginning at 6:00PM and average two (2) hours or more; 2) Special City Commission meetings may be called at any time if the matter is of a pressing nature and a decision must be made prior to a regular meeting; 3) Attendance at meetings for which you are selected to be a Commission Representative – such as an advisory board, library board, etc; 4) Work Sessions are scheduled for issues that require open discussion but do not require an immediate decision. These are usually scheduled prior to a regular meeting, typically begin at 5:00PM, and then lead into a regular meeting. There will be Work Sessions scheduled on a stand-alone date that usually begin at 5:00, 6:00 or 7:00PM. 5) Trainings for the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA) and the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) are required annually and other training is available but optional; 6) Representation at community activities and other meetings are usually optional but highly encouraged; 7) Individual preparation for meetings may be necessary for topics that require research in order to make an informed decision at the table.
Please also consider that this is a high-profile position within this community. All meetings are streamed on YouTube, the newspapers and television stations may be present at any given time, and you will be involved in many community activities and issues. As a City Commissioner, you will be a contact and a representative for citizens’ and their concerns. The concerns and issues that the Commission faces are not always positive in nature. However, they will require your best collaborative efforts and decision-making skills with your fellow Commissioners and the City Manager.
Please visit www.fscity.org, contact the City Manager, Brad Matkin (bmatkin@fscity.org) or the City Clerk, Lisa Lewis cityclerk@fscity.org for any questions. We would also encourage you to watch previous Commission meetings on the City of Fort Scott YouTube channel before making the commitment by submitting your Letter of Interest.
All Letters of Interest will be reviewed, and all qualified candidates will be contacted to appear and speak before the Commission at the June 4th regular meeting. The Commission will select the new Commissioner who will be sworn in and seated that evening.
Letters will be received in person at City Hall (8:00AM-5:00PM) or by email to cityclerk@fscity.org until Thursday, May 30th at 5:00PM. No letters will be received after the deadline.
Please be sure to include contact information in your letter and clearly mark “LETTER OF INTEREST/CITY COMMISSIONER”.