At a time when the Baker City Council needs stability, it has instead dealt with upheaval. Two councilors have resigned in the past three weeks — Dean Guyer on Aug. 11, and Boston Colton on Aug. 30.

Colton was the newest councilor, having been appointed by the remaining councilors on July 25. He filled a vacancy created by yet another resignation. Matt Diaz left the council July 16 because he moved outside the city limits and was no longer eligible to serve.

The resignations of Guyer and Colton leave the seven-member council with two vacancies.

Of the five current councilors, three were elected — Beverly Calder, Jason Spriet and Johnny Waggoner Sr., while two were appointed — Nathan Hodgdon and Ray Duman.

The city charter gives remaining councilors the responsibility of filling the two openings.

Although the charter doesn’t list any criteria councilors should consider in evaluating candidates — other than the requirement that they are registered voters who have lived within the city for at least the past 12 months — the city’s daunting challenges make experience in municipal matters an unusually valuable attribute.

Those five councilors should give strong consideration to applicants who have served as councilors or as volunteers on a city board. Membership on the budget board is particularly useful, considering that councilors are confronted with a projected shortfall in the general fund, which includes the police and fire departments, of about $900,000. And that amount would only maintain the current staffing in the police and fire departments. Interim city manager Jon France estimates the city would need to boost general fund revenue by about $642,000 to hire two new employees for each department, a move that should reduce overtime pay in the police department and make it easier to maintain around-the-clock patrols.

Although there’s nothing inherently wrong with appointing councilors who lack experience but could bring a fresh perspective — Colton, for instance, was the youngest councilor, at 24 — the scale of the city’s fiscal dilemma puts a premium on budget experience, and in particular familiarity with Baker City expenses and sources of revenue.

The council, which will have more appointed members than elected, will need to make crucial decisions over the next several months. The deadline to adopt a budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year is June 30, 2024.

City voters’ next chance to decide on their representatives will be the November 2024 election, when a majority of the seven seats will be on the ballot.

In the meantime the decision about who will represent citizens, and make these significant budget choices, is the province of the five councilors.

Their selections could have far-reaching effects on the budget and on residents.