With the election of a new mayor, the Minot City Council will be looking to fill another vacancy.

Mark Jantzer, who has served on the council since 2008, out-polled three other candidates in the Tuesday, Aug. 5, mayoral race, according to unofficial results. The canvassing board will meet on Monday, Aug. 18, at 10 a.m. to certify the official results.

According to the City of Minot, the council could seat a new mayor either at its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 or at a special meeting that day. At that time, members could declare a vacancy on the council and could call a special election or wait 15 days, allowing time for any citizens interested in filling the spot by election to file petitions. Petitions require 293 signatures and would need to be filed by Tuesday, Sept. 2. If no petition is filed, the council may appoint or adopt a process for later appointing an individual to fill the vacancy.

Whether elected in a special election or appointed, the person assuming the council position would serve only until the regular June 2026 city election. In Jantzer’s case, his term on the council expires in June 2028, so the individual elected to the seat in June 2026 would serve out the remaining two years in the term.

The council has been functioning with six members rather than seven since Jantzer’s appointment in April as acting mayor. Because Minot’s mayor position is a voting one, tie votes have stalled action on a number of issues, including a property tax exemption for childcare centers, a policy for managing cash reserves and reallocation of the first penny of city sales tax. The council could choose to revisit these issues once all council seats are filled.