(Spirit Lake)– Some workers for the city of Spirit Lake are expressing concern over a new policy being considered by the city council that would require all city employees to live in the city.
The city council took up the issue for the first time at Tuesday’s meeting.
12 city employees currently don’t live in town. Six work for the Street Department. Four of them were at the meeting expressing their concern over the new policy. Brent Newcome, the city’s Street Department Superintendent, spoke out in their defense, saying the fact some workers live out of town has not affected their performance in any way. One worker says he often spends nights at the Public Works Building when storms threaten in the winter.
The workers expressed concern that the first they had learned about the proposed residency requirement was after they heard about it on KUOO news.
Council member Barb Ricke says she wants the city to atleast look into the possibility of the residency requirement after being questioned by some citizens about why police officers are required to live in the city while other city employees don’t have to.
The council directed City Attorney Earl Maahs to research the legal aspects of the proposal and report back.
Public Works Director Todd Dolphin presented Maahs with a copy of a Court of Appeals ruling in a case involving another city which ruled against residency requirements for “critical” city employees. Maahs said he would review that as well.
