Athens City Council is still short one member, and the council vice president said Thursday they will wait until an injured councilman returns to fill the vacancy.

District 1 Councilman Chris Seibert said the four-member council has tentatively agreed to appoint a council member to replace District 4 Councilman Joseph Cannon. Cannon took over as Limestone County License Commissioner on Oct. 1 with a year still remaining in his term. He represented the district for about seven years.

Council members are not up for election again until Aug. 25, 2020, and they do not take office until November of the election year. So, the four current councilmen favor appointing someone to fill Cannon’s term rather than leaving District 4 without representation so long.

At least seven people have now voiced interest in taking the job, Seibert said. One of them attended the council’s daylong budget hearing in September.

However, Seibert said council members don’t want to fill the vacancy until District 3 Councilman Frank Travis returns from medical rehabilitation. He was seriously injured at his home in September and had to have the lower portion of one of his legs amputated.

“We would really like his input, and that is the consensus,” Seibert said of Travis. “He does want to be a part of it, and we value his opinion and want to get him back before taking a vote like that.”

Mayor Ronnie Marks said he hopes Travis can return by the end of the month but no firm date has been set.

Seibert said Travis continues to make progress in rehabilitation from his injury.

“We all continue to pray for Frank, and we will be happy to get him back,” he said.

District 5 Councilman Wayne Harper told The News Courier in September he initially favored waiting for the election. However, he said Travis’s injury changed his mind because it left only three councilmen to make decisions. If one of the three was absent from a meeting, there would not be a legal quorum to approve ordinances or resolutions.

Seibert previously said he wants to appoint someone with high integrity and experience with budgets, managing people, general oversight of finances and programs.

District 2 Council President Harold Wales was not available for comment Thursday.