BRIDGEPORT — The village of Bridgeport is looking to fill two open positions after a council member submitted his letter of resignation and the fiscal officer’s last day is set for late June.

After nearly four years on council, Councilman David Rice submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday. Had he remained on council, Rice would have been up for reelection later this year.

Mayor Norma Teasdale made the announcement during council’s regularly scheduled meeting, as Rice was not present Tuesday. She said Rice opted to resign due to “personal reasons.”

“I received a resignation from Mr. Rice for his council seat effective today (Tuesday),” she said.

Teasdale said they were grateful to have Rice as a council member.

“We will miss him. He did a great service to the village. We thank him,” she added.

Council will accept letters of interest for the now empty seat until May 11. Residents interested in filling the position may submit letters of interest to Teasdale at the village municipal building located at 301 Main St., Bridgeport. Teasdale said council is looking for a community-oriented individual to fill the position. The individual must be a village resident to apply.

The position must be filled within 30 days of the former council member’s resignation. Council will interview, vote and appoint an interested party to fill the seat during its next regular meeting set for 6 p.m. May 18 at the municipal building.

Council must also fill the soon-to-be vacant fiscal officer position. Current village fiscal officer Chris Kirby’s last day is set for June 30. The position is part time. They will be accepting applications at the municipal building until early May.

In other matters, council unanimously voted to renew its contract with Volunteer Energy Services Inc. for the gas aggregation program. The program provides a guaranteed 7% in savings on natural gas each year for residents who are enrolled, according to Larry Taylor, energy specialist for Volunteer Energy Services.

The previous contract, which was signed in 2019, expires at the end of May. In order to meet the time requirements, council voted to waive the three readings and pass an emergency agreement to secure the rates offered by the company. The village’s current rate is $0.383 per CCF, centum, or 100, cubic feet.

Village residents voted in favor of the program in 2008. In addition to the yearly savings, the village is presented with a Community Reinvestment Program check every two years. The grant helps to fund community improvement projects in the village.