Des Plaines department heads won't face residency requirement
The Des Plaines City Council decided Monday night to uphold its policy of not requiring department heads to live in town.
Many department heads, including the police chief and city manager, live outside Des Plaines. The council was split on the perennial issue.
Ward 4 Alderman Dick Sayad said it was important the department heads live in the area.
"By having you live here, you are a part of the people that are here. They can rub shoulders with you or they can give you their opinions," Sayad said. "You can see the laws that you're voting on and the things that you do and can see how it reacts to the residents of this town. To me, it's a no-brainer."
But the mayor and other council members argued the requirement would reduce the number of applicants for department positions. The mayor said the evidence showed the pool of applicants doubled when the residency requirement was lifted.
"To me, the data is very clear," Mayor Matthew Bogusz said. "I want our staff and our manager specifically to have the pick from the best in the region."
In two votes, the council was split 4-4 on whether to ask voters in April about requiring some department heads or all of them to live in Des Plaines. But the mayor voted against holding either referendum, leaving the current policy in place.