Item Number: 10
City Council / Board of Directors
Written Communications
Meeting of: December 2, 2025
Submitted By:
Jennifer Thompson, City Clerk
Subject:
Appointment of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem
Recommendation:
That Your Honorable City Council
(1) Direct the City Clerk to open nominations for the office of Mayor, take nominations, announce the outcome of the vote and declare the appointment upon a majority vote of the Council;
(2) Should the Council come to consensus on the office of Mayor, the newly appointed Mayor shall preside over the process for the office of Mayor Pro Tem, unless he/she prefers the City Clerk to facilitate the appointment; and (3) Open nominations for the office of Mayor Pro Tem, take nominations, and have the City Clerk announce the outcome of the vote and declare the appointment upon a majority vote of the Council.
Fiscal Impact:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
Background:
On October 3, 2017, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 17-056 adopting the City Council Policy and Procedure Manual (Manual) which created a centralized and comprehensive set of rules, policies and procedures governing the conduct of City Council meetings and the carrying out of the day-to-day business of the City of Victorville.
To date, revisions to the Manual have occurred annually with the latest revision, Resolution No. 24-020 adopted on September 17, 2024. This revision updated Chapter 1, Section II B of the Manual to provide that the Manual be reviewed biennially with the intent that any necessary revisions be made only at such time which review will occur in August of such years, if needed, by City Council Resolution. 2 3
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Discussion:
As part of the Manual, Chapter 2, Section II Council Election and Governance, spells out the process for the appointment of the offices of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem as follows:
“The City of Victorville is governed by a five-member City Council elected to four-year terms on a staggered basis. Councilmembers are elected in the general election in November of even- numbered years. The Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem will be appointed by a majority vote of the entire membership (hereinafter “consensus”) of the City Council. The City Council shall appoint the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem for one-year terms at the first regular meeting in December of every year or as soon thereafter as feasible and, when applicable, following the certification of election results and seating of new City Councilmembers. Effective as of the organization meeting of 2024 and with respect to Mayoral terms, the following provisions shall apply: A Mayor shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms per each term of office as Councilmember, unless additional service is granted by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the entire Council membership. A Councilmember may serve a third year as Mayor during his or her current term of office without the two- thirds (2/3) requirement, provided he or she did not hold the office of Mayor during the preceding year and he or she receives a majority vote of the entire council. The newly appointed Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem shall undertake their positions immediately following the majority vote or assumption to office. In no circumstance shall a change be considered to the Policy Manual regarding the appointment process for the office of Mayor and/or Mayor Pro Tem once the organizational item has been posted to the agenda.
The nomination and appointment procedure for the offices of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem shall be conducted in successive order and as shown below.
1. The City Clerk opens nominations.
2. The City Clerk receives up to one nomination per Councilmember until no further nominations are forthcoming. Seconds are not required.
3. The City Clerk closes nominations.
4. The City Clerk calls on each Councilmember to cast by verbal vote the name of his or her nominee of choice.
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5. The City Clerk announces the outcome of the vote and declares the appointment upon a majority vote of the full membership.
6. If an appointment is not confirmed, the City Clerk repeats the foregoing procedure once more on the prospect of the City Council reaching agreement.
The newly appointed Mayor shall preside over the process for the appointment to the office of Mayor Pro Tem. The appointment of the Mayor Pro Tem shall not occur until the appointment process for Mayor as provided herein has been completed.
Should the City Council fail to appoint a new Mayor, either due to insufficient votes or tie-vote procedures outlined in Chapter 5, Section II.R, the City Council shall reconsider the appointment during one final vote at the next regular meeting. Abstaining from any appointment vote counts as an affirmative vote for the current Mayor.
If no consensus on a new Mayor is reached after two consecutive Council meetings, the Mayor Pro Tem will assume the role, provided he or she is willing to serve.
If the Mayor Pro Tem does assume the Mayoral role, his or her vacated position shall open for nominations at the next regular Council meeting. Should the Council fail to appoint a new Mayor Pro Tem, after following the nomination provisions, set forth above, the position shall remain vacant until the next election cycle or until such time as the Council is willing to come to a consensus, whichever is sooner.”
Staff remains available for any questions or comments you may have.
Prepared By:
Jennifer Thompson, City Clerk
Attachments: None