A new council member will be appointed to the Riverside City Council when it meets on June 21 at City Hall.

The vacancy on the board was created by the May 23 resignation of Jeanine Redlinger, who has served on the council since 2016 but is relocating outside the city after purchasing a new property with her husband.

At Monday night’s meeting held at the Riverside Fire Department, Redlinger thanked the city council and the community. She was presented an “Award of Gratitude” by mayor Allen Schneider on behalf of the city.

“It’s been a pleasure serving with you,” Schneider told Redlinger.

Redlinger was in the midst of a second four-year term that doesn’t expire until 2023, resulting in an appointment, a possible special election and an additional opening on the regularly scheduled election in November.

Schneider said he will recommend an appointee to the council at the June 21 meeting. Two candidates are interested in the position, Schneider said, and another two or three could surface by June 21.

The new appointee would serve through the end of the year, and possibly longer depending on results of the election in November.

Even after a new city council member is appointed, there is still a chance of a special election. Once the appointment is made, other city council member hopefuls would have 14 days to file a petition with 200 signatures (or 15% of the number of people who voted in the last city election), forcing a special election.

Three city council spots will be on the ballot in November’s election. Two of the elected members will serve four-year terms; the third electee would serve for two years because Redlinger’s term was set to expire in December 2023.

The council also heard an update from the Riverside Community Center Committee. Proposals call for a multi-purpose community center to be built in Riverside. A feasibility study prepared by Carl A. Nelson & Company, of Burlington, included options ranging from $2.2 million to $7 million.

Proposals include a basketball court or gym able to create space for multiple courts, a running track, pickleball courts, an event center and childcare facilities.

Council members indicated a strong interest in creating a facility to keep Riverside residents in Riverside and to bring in people from other communities. Committee members and council members have visited the community centers in Kalona and Lone Tree, which have proven to be popular among residents.

“There are still some things we need to examine,” Schneider said.