City Council Opens Application Process for District 3 Vacancy
The Lee’s Summit City Council has established a public application and selection process to fill the vacant District 3 City Council seat. The appointed councilmember will serve until April 2027, when the seat will appear on the general election ballot for a term ending in April 2028.
The process is governed by Article III, Sections 3.2 and 3.7 of the City’s Charter and Section 2-61 of the Lee’s Summit Code of Ordinances.
All information of this information is available on the District 3 Vacancy webpage: https://cityofls.net/city-clerk/city-council-vacancy
Public Notification and Application
The application period shall open on August 6, 2026, at 8 a.m. and close on August 21, 2026, at 5 p.m.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for appointment, an applicant must:
- Be a registered voter in the State of Missouri.
- Have lived in Lee’s Summit for at least two years prior to appointment.
- Have lived in District 3 for at least six months prior to appointment.
- Continue to remain a resident of District 3 and remain a registered voter throughout the appointed term.
- Have no unpaid City taxes or municipal user fees and no record of forfeiture of or misconduct in office.
Interested, qualified residents must:
- Complete an in-person application to provide information required by law, available at the City Clerk’s office at City Hall.
- Complete an online questionnaire requesting additional information about their experience, interest in serving, and priorities for the community.
Questionnaire topics include:
- Their reasons for seeking appointment to the City Council.
- Their three most significant issues or concerns for Lee’s Summit.
- Economic development and the City’s Economic Development Incentive Policy.
- Policies that could encourage commercial investment.
- Attainable housing in Lee’s Summit.
- The role of the City’s Strategic Plan and Comprehensive Plan in Council decision-making.
Each business day during the filing period, the City Clerk will review new candidate filings and post the names of those who have filed on the City website.
Submit Questions for the Candidates
Residents are invited to submit questions for consideration during the Public Candidate Forum. The deadline to submit questions is the same as the candidate filing: 5 p.m. on Aug. 21.
Questions may be submitted:
- Through the online “Submit a Candidate Question” button on the District Vacancy webpage.
- Through submitting handwritten questions to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall.
Submitted questions will be provided to the City Council for review. Selected questions will be asked of the candidates during the forum.
All completed application materials and resident questions will be provided to the Mayor and City Council for review after the application period closes.
Section Process: Narrowing applications
September 1, 2026
At its regular meeting Tuesday, Sept. 1, the City Council will review the applications and make reasonable efforts to reach a consensus on narrowing the applicant pool to no more than five finalists.
Selection Process: Special Session Public Candidate Forum, Councilmember Selection
September 8, 2026
The City Council will hold a special session Tuesday, Sept. 8, to conduct a public candidate forum and select the new District 3 councilmember.
Meeting format
1. Candidate Forum
- The forum shall be moderated by the Mayor.
- Each candidate shall have two minutes to give an opening statement.
- The Mayor will ask candidates questions (previously submitted by the public during the application process and reviewed and selected by the Mayor.) The Candidates have one minute to answer. The first speaker will change with each question. A maximum of six questions will be asked.
- Each candidate will have two minutes to give a closing statement.
2. Public Comment
- The Council will take a short recess so that anyone wishing to speak in support of a candidate may determine who among them will speak.
- General public comments will be limited to five speakers, at one minute per person. Comments supporting an individual candidate will be limited to a combined total of five minutes per candidate, with the time divided among those wishing to speak.
- The Council may then hold up to 30 minutes of additional discussion or questioning before recessing to deliberate.
3. Recess for Council Deliberation
4. Voting Process
- After deliberations, the mayor will accept nominations from sitting councilmembers. Nominations will not require a second.
- Following nominations, councilmembers may provide comments about candidates.
- Following any comments, the City Clerk will conduct a roll-call vote, with each councilmember stating the candidate they support. A candidate receiving a majority of the votes cast by the sitting councilmembers, including the mayor, will be appointed.
- If no candidate receives a majority, the field will be narrowed to the candidates receiving the two highest vote totals.
- Additional roll-call votes may be conducted in accordance with the City’s ordinance. If no candidate receives a majority after the third round of voting, the nominations will be declared null, and the nomination process will begin again.
Important Dates
Aug. 6 at 8 a.m.: Application period opens.
Aug. 21 at 5 p.m.: Applications and resident-submitted questions are due.
Sept. 1: Regular City Council Meeting - Council reviews applications and narrows the field to five candidates.
Sept. 8: Public Candidate Forum - Council deliberations and appointment.