DAPHNE, Ala. — City leaders Thursday discussed how they will vote on a replacement for the District 6 council seat Regina Landry vacated two months ago.

The vote will take place at the council meeting Monday at 6:30 p.m.

Council President Greg Burnam distributed a chart to five of the remaining six members — Councilman Ron Scott was absent from Thursday’s work session — that contained rows with each city leader’s name and a column for each District 6 candidate. A number will correspond with each candidate’s name.

City leaders will announce their votes by number, not name, so that candidates aren’t embarrassed, Burnam said. Still, an overhead projection will display the candidate’s name and assigned number to the public, he said.

The council will vote for their top three candidates and announce their votes. Then they will narrow the vote to their top two choices and announce that result, and so forth with their first pick. A city leader will make a motion to elect that person and the motion will be seconded.

The council expects the final decision to be made during its regular meeting on Monday, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. The candidate must be sworn in by the end of the year, City Clerk David Cohen said.

Also Thursday, the area beside Sommerset Drive was still under discussion for annexation and rezoning. The council received research from Bill Eady, director of the community development division.

The council requested this information because of the suggestions from Sommerset residents at the Dec. 5 council meeting — to have a neighboring parcel match its surroundings by zoning it as single-family dwelling.

Surrounding the area is a multifamily district, a business district, a single-family district and an agricultural district, Eady said.

A representative of M&S Development suggested signing a deed restriction to limit the density on this parcel.

But such a proposal would constitute “conditional zoning,” which the state of Alabama doesn’t allow, Jay Ross, city attorney, said.

Also, M&S reps gave council members a preliminary drainage scheme that will utilize an existing pond that is the land’s natural water catch, developers said.

A negative recommendation from the Daphne Planning Commission — probably because little information was available about surrounding zones, Barnette said — led Burnam to recommend returning this issue to the commission since more information is available.

In other business, Rebecca Hayes, assistant city clerk, reported that the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce’s annual Jubilee Festival earned about $27,000 for the chamber; the city spent $10,000 on the event; and the city was reimbursed about $500.

The council agreed to continue supporting the festival, but to submit requests to the chamber. One request would be to consider Daphne as the event’s primary sponsor, including the city on all advertising.

The Nicholson Center — located on Captain O’Neal Drive — is still being considered for the Bay Rivers Art Guild’s use. A discussion during the Dec. 5 meeting established that BRAG’s current facility, the old Daphne jail, is inadequate.

Council members suggested that a visual or performing arts program would be a good match for the Nicholson Center. More consideration will be given after the Alabama Art Guild inspects the property Tuesday. If approved, the AAG may provide grant money that would help with BRAG’s transition.

This led to the question of use for the former jail’s building and land. Both belong to Daphne Utilities.

The utility may not give the land to the city. It may only lease or trade it for something of fair market value, Ross said.

The utility board is assessing and researching their current real estate, wells and drains, said Rob McElroy, the utility’s general manager.

“I feel confident that we will find some real estate that is still owned by the city that we’ll need to trade for the jail’s land,” McElroy said.