The Toppenish City Council voted unanimously to name Blaine Thorington Toppenish Mayor at its study session Jan. 4.
Thorington was the only council member nominated for the position. He replaces Loren Belton.
Newly elected council member Clara Jimenez was elected Mayor Pro-Tem.
Jimenez, Thorington, and council member Derald Ortloff were also sworn in at the beginning of the meeting.
The seven-member Council currently has one vacant position, after Bob Thomas was elected to position but declined to serve.
He was elected despite having withdrawn from the election, because his decision to withdraw was made too late to keep his name from appearing on the ballot.
The Council was scheduled to hold an interview and selection process to fill the vacancy at the Jan. 11 regular meeting, but the results of that process were not known at press time.
In other action, the Council heard a presentation from Fire Chief Tim Smith regarding the EMS levy, which will expire at the end of 2011.
Smith and other fire chiefs in Yakima County had met earlier to discuss the amount and the term of the levy, Smith said.
He told the Council that a levy term of six years had been discussed, as well as a levy amount of $.50 per thousand dollars of assessed property value.
Smith said he could not support any increase in the levy amount, which is currently $.25 per thousand of assess value.
The levy was first passed in 1995, with a term of six years. In 2001, the levy was passed again, at the same levy amount of $.25 per thousand, but with a 10-year term.
The consensus of the Council was to support another term of 10 years and to keep the levy amount at $.25 per thousand.
Also discussed at the meeting were the legislative priorities of the Association of Washington Cities for the upcoming session beginning in January.
Council members agreed that the top priority should be changes to the juvenile justice system to help deal with gang activity.
The next regular meeting of the Council will be held Jan. 25, at the city hall council chambers, beginning at 7 p.m.