(ABC 6 News) – Residents of Rose Creek will soon see voting ballots appearing in their mailboxes, as the city seeks to fill a vacancy in the city council that should have been filled in the November general election.

It started more than a year ago when this same seat opened up after the sitting councilmember at the time resigned to take over the then vacant mayor’s seat.

The council position was then appointed to another city official, former Rose Creek Maintenance Manager Tom Lewison.

The appointment was supposed to be temporary. Minnesota statutes dictate that vacancies like this made with more than two years left in the term have to go to special election.

The true replacement should have then been chosen in November.

However, that position never appeared on the ballot.

Mower County Auditor Scott Felten noticed the mistake.

“There was just an oversight by the city to include that vacancy as a special election on the ballot,” he said. “So, they’re able to rectify that by having the special election here in April.”

Now, a judge has made the decision to remove Lewison from his seat effective immediately, after several residents of Rose Creek came forward objecting to him remaining on the council until the special election on April 8^th.

ABC 6 attempted to reach now former council member Lewison for response but has not heard anything back at this time.

Registered voters in Rose Creek will be receiving their ballots and instructions in the mail in the next few weeks.

They will then have until April 8 to either mail their ballots back to the county auditor’s office, or drop it off in person.