Softened residency requirements for Elgin employees

Non-Elgin residents hired for certain city positions will soon have more flexibility in their relocation based on a vote by the Elgin City Council.

There are about 20 positions in upper management that require employees to live within city limits. City Manager Sean Stegall told council members that for fire department battalion chiefs that requirement was too restrictive for those considering the job.

“It doesn’t work to require that position to live within the city,” Stegall said.

Elgin Mayor David Kaptain said today’s realities with communication technology make the requirement outdated.

Positions like the fire and police chiefs, city manager, city clerk and chief financial officer are still required to live in the village, but they’ll get more time to move. The policy will give employees five years instead of two years to comply.

Stegall said staff members recommended the extension because of the current state of the housing market. The city is hoping more flexibility will give employees a better chance at selling their homes at more desirable prices.

Kaptain said the extension will help employees like Fire Chief John Fahy and Colleen Lavery, the chief financial officer, who are both longtime employees recently promoted to upper management.

“They really would be under the gun to try to sell their houses,” Kaptain said. “It’s an extension for them.”

In addition to that broadening of policy, council members also voted to expand the residency requirement to the currently unfilled position of communications director.

“We’re not trying to move away from the residency requirement, we’re just trying to get some flexibility,” Stegall said.

Council members voted unanimously to change these requirements at a special meeting of the committee of the whole on Friday. The policy will go into effect when councilmen officially vote on the item at a council meeting.