Staff Report

The Buellton City Council is seeking applicants for appointment to fill a seat after Foster Reif announced his resignation Dec. 14 because he will be moving to Ohio.

His final City Council meeting will be Thursday, Jan. 11.

Reif was elected in November 2016 and was scheduled to hold the seat until 2020. Prior to the election, he spent eight years on the Buellton Planning Commission.

In an email message, Reif said he hopes to see some of his efforts come to fruition as the council moves forward.

“I feel the council is too focused on items that are not of critical strategic needs of the city,” he wrote. “While some issues may be high visibility to the public and be important, RV ordinance for instance, I feel the need to reconcile a $1 million budget issue, critical infrastructure hurdles, and provide more strategic guidance to staff to drive the future of Buellton are among a couple of items the direction and thrust of the council should be focused.”

Reif also said it would be beneficial for the city to engage with the Buellton Union School District over the district’s budget shortfall, despite the city’s hesitance in the past.

“I’ll miss all of you and I’ll miss the city. Onward and upward,” Reif said at the Dec. 14 meeting.

Applications for the seat will be accepted until 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29. They are available on www.cityofbuellton.com and at Buellton City Hall, 107 West Highway 246.