HONOLULU -- Honolulu City Council Chairman Todd Apo on Tuesday announced he will resign in November to take a job with Disney Ko Olina.

His resignation will be effective Nov. 8, Apo said. Apo's resignation means a special election will be necessary to fill his seat. That will cost taxpayers more than $200,000.

"I served six years. So, I definitely don't feel like it's something I just jumped into and decided, 'Hey, I'm done, I'm getting out of here,'" Apo said.

Apo said he seriously considered resigning immediately so the special election to fill his seat could be folded into the Nov. 2 general election. That could have saved the city $170,000 to $220,000 in taxpayer money.

"Just sort of dropping it and disappearing, I thought would be unfair to my fellow council members, to the city, to the taxpayers," Apo said.

Apo had two more years following the end of this year to his term.

He was first elected to office in 2004. Apo represented Honolulu District 1, which includes the Waianae Coast through Ko Olina to Ewa Beach. He has been council chairman since November 2008.

"Now, I have been given another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work here in Hawaii for Disney, a global leader committed to making a positive and meaningful impact on our island and our state," Apo said.

Apo previously worked for Ko Olina Resort and Marina. Apo would become director of public affairs for the new Disney resort.

Apo's resignation means there will be five new faces on the Honolulu City Council in January.

Disney is building a hotel and time-share condo property at Ko Olina called Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa. The resort is scheduled to open on Aug. 29, 2011.

Council members Donovan Dela Cruz, Gary Okino and Rod Tam are term limited and cannot serve another session. Councilman Lee Donohue was appointed to fill the remainder of Charles Djou's term. Djou left after a special election put him in Congress.