Jim Sayre to resign from North Liberty City Council, takes job out of state

NORTH LIBERTY - North Liberty City Council member Jim Sayre will resign on Feb. 1.

Sayre has accepted a job at the University of Arizona in Tucson, he said in a resignation letter. Once Sayre leaves the council, members will have to decide whether to fill the vacancy through appointment or special election.

The term lasts through December of this year.

If someone is appointed to fill the seat, that person would serve through November's city election. If a special election is held, the elected council member would serve through December.

The council is scheduled to discuss the vacancy and choose a possible course of action during Tuesday's regular meeting. It's scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the council's chambers at 1 Quail Creek Circle.

Choosing to appoint would save the city on election costs, between $2,000 and $3,000, according to council documents. However, residents could file a petition to trigger a special election.

That was the scenario during North Liberty's last elected official vacancy, when then-mayor Amy Nielsen was elected to the state House of Representatives. Council member Terry Donahue was chosen as the city's mayor and resident Sarah Madsen was elected to a council seat in April 2017.

Sayre, in his first term on the council, was elected in 2015. He previously served on the city's planning and zoning commission, board of adjustment and transit advisory committee. He is also the associate director of parking and transportation at the University of Iowa.

'North Liberty has been incredible to me and my family, and we're grateful for having had the opportunity to live, play and work in such a great place,” Sayre wrote in his letter.

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