The Gary Common Council is altering a proposed ordinance to make it more likely that municipal employees actually live in the city.
In December, the council’s Finance committee reviewed a proposal requiring that all city employees hired after Nov. 1, 2016, prove that they live in the city.
That measure was expected to come up for a final Common Council vote on Tuesday, but Councilwoman Mary Brown, D-3rd, asked to defer a vote until the next scheduled meeting on Jan. 16.
She said an amendment to the ordinance will be introduced at that time, with a final vote likely to come that same evening.
Council President Ronald Brewer said an amendment to the proposed ordinace will be introduced, requiring city agencies to come before the full council when they claim they cannot find qualified Gary residents for specific positions.
In theory, the full council would have to approve such hires and would have the authority to reject a hire of a non-Gary resident for a job.
“We didn’t want to rush it for tonight,” Brewer said. “We want to do this right.”
The ordinance’s intent is that it would gradually result in all city employees being Gary residents – except in cases where qualified people cannot be found for specific jobs.
The ordinance would not apply to hires within the Gary police and fire departments. Those public safety agencies are covered by Indiana state law that merely requires such workers to live within a county contiguous of the community in which they are employed.
Gary Common Council officials have tried in the past to approve measures requiring residency requirements for their public safety employees – only to have their efforts thwarted by the Indiana General Assembly.
Gregory Tejeda is a freelance reporter for hte Post-Tribune.