(Photo by Christina Estes - KJZZ)

Phoenix City Council meeting on March 23, 2016.

Maricopa County Planning and Development Director Debra Stark will fill Phoenix's open City Council seat, the city announced in a press release Tuesday.

Stark replaces former Councilman Bill Gates, who resigned his seat to run for one on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

Stark will serve on the council through November when a special election will be held to determine who will fill the seat through 2019. There were nine applicants — five of whom have said they’ll run in November’s special election.

Assuming a candidate gets a majority in that election, they’ll serve out the rest of Gates’ term. If nobody gets more than 50 percent in November, there will be a run-off.

Dustin Gardiner covers Phoenix City Hall for The Arizona Republic and spoke with The Show before Stark's appointment.