Springfield city councilors still working on residency requireme - WFSB 3 Connecticut

Springfield city councilors still working on residency requirement

Springfield city councilors are still working on perfecting an ordinance that would require new employees to live in the city.

Springfield is the City of Homes and from now on, some city councilors want city employees to live in its borders.

Council member John Lysak is now proposing that starting Jan. 1, 2013 the city starts enforcing a law that has basically gone ignored for nearly two decades.

"We can't enforce this issue because for 17 years it hasn't been enforced," Lysak said.

The city law department recently declared that ordinance was unconstitutional and said it couldn't be enforced.

Lysak says the current one should be repealed, and he has now drafted his own that states:

• City employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2013 have six months to move to Springfield
• Employees promoted by the city have one year to move into the city.
• Every Feb. 1 employees must sign a certificate stating their residence.

Current employees would be grandfathered in.

But it's not the first time they've tried to get this law back on the books. Recently some city councilors proposed rewarding those city employees that do live here with an up to $1,000 bonus.

After some backlash, Lysak thinks this one could work better, at the same time benefiting the city's budget.

"It's good for our economy," he said, "if you want to work and get money from the city of Springfield you should live here and spend your money here."

The city council general government committee is reviewing this ordinance Tuesday. It is then expected to be pushed to the entire city council for a vote.

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