(Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Question of location

Residency policy debate forwarded to future council meeting

Jul 28, 2020 | 5:35 PM

Discussion on a proposed residency policy for city employees has been deferred to a future council meeting, but one councillor wants to see the idea dropped altogether.

The potential policy would require all new hires to senior management positions like city manager, department heads, and fire chief; along with deputy and battalion fire chiefs, to move within city limits within six months being hired or face termination.

The residency policy would also apply to people being hired for any permanent non-unionized city position.

Existing employees, police, and unionized employees (except senior management) would be exempt. Non-unionized employees in casual, term, or temporary positions would also not be subject to residency requirements.

“I want the best possible person available for the job to get hired,” Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp told the meeting. “And this would restrict that immensely.”

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She added the policy would limit applicants from surrounding First Nations and rural municipalities.

Council voted to refer the proposed policy back to city administration. It will return to council, presumably with a further report, for more discussion at a future meeting.

While there wasn’t much debate on the topic on Monday night, Mayor Greg Dionne was vocal in defending the policy, asking Lennox-Zepp if she would be OK with the city manager, the highest paid city employee, living in Saskatoon.

“If you want to step up and be a manager and move up in our ranks, I do believe your heart has to be in the city, and I mean by living in the city,” he told paNOW after the meeting. “I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request.”

Dionne said he plans to pursue similar residency policies for police and fire in the future.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom