Once again, the City of Port Moody will be without its mayor.

Last night, Rob Vagramov revealed to his council colleagues that plans to take a second leave of absence as he deals with a sexual assault charge.

It came a week after four members of council voted in favour of a motion by Coun. Diana Dilworth urging him to step aside until the criminal case is resolved.

Her motion was supported by all three female members of council, whereas the two men and Vagramov voted against it.

Vagramov was charged in March in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred in 2015 in Coquitlam while he was a member of Port Moody council.

He's vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

B.C.'s charge-approval process requires the B.C. Prosecution Service to conclude that proceeding with a case is in the public interest and that there's a "substantial likelihood" of a conviction.

Last week, two groups that encourage looking at local politics and public policies through a gender lens—Women on Wednesdays and Women Transforming Cities—declared on Straight.com that women "should not have to sit beside men who've been accused of sexual assault and violence".

"It is imperative that our governmental processes be updated to be inclusive of today’s cultural mores, reflective of dissenting opinions and supportive of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences," they wrote in a commentary. "For this, we need explicit action in the form of Rob Vagramov resigning as mayor of Port Moody and Premier John Horgan instituting an Independent Ethics Commission for Municipal Officials with the power to unseat elected officials."