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Cincy Council approves changes to residency rule

City of Cincinnati

Cincinnati Council is reducing the number of high-level employees who are required to live in the city.  The group approved the change Wednesday by a 6-2 vote.  

The debate started after Metropolitan Sewer District Director Tony Parrott asked for an exemption to the city's current residency requirement.  He was disciplined in June and told to move into the city.  

Council Member Kevin Flynn said the issue was clearly about the MSD Director and keeping him on the job.

“But I cannot support keeping someone who has been dishonest with the city, continued to be dishonest with the city because as part of the disciplinary process said he would move into the city within 180 days,” Flynn said.

Wendell Young joined Flynn in casting a new vote on the residency rule change.
 
“If you’re going to make the rules, you should be subject to those rules,” Young said.  “We don’t hire people to be kings and queens, they don’t rule fiat, so the things they do affect us all.  It should affect them too.”

The new rule says only the city manager, two assistant city managers, police chief and city solicitor must live in the city.  The old requirement listed six other city department heads.

“I think it’s difficult to enforce and administer a rule where there are real questions around whether or not it’s legal,” said Council Member Yvette Simpson in approving the change.  “So the clarity that this ordinance brings from my perspective is that we know that the individuals covered under this ordinance can be required by law to live in the city of Cincinnati.”

Simpson said the city should work to offer incentives to encourage all employees to live within Cincinnati.

Five other members also voted yes on the change including Council Member P.G. Sittenfeld.

“It’s been a healthy debate,” Sittenfeld said.  “Let’s now move on from it and make sure that the majority of future debate is how do we make Cincinnati a place where people choose to want to live.”
 

Jay Hanselman brings more than 10 years experience as a news anchor and reporter to 91.7 WVXU. He came to WVXU from WNKU, where he hosted the local broadcast of All Things Considered. Hanselman has been recognized for his reporting by the Kentucky AP Broadcasters Association, the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, and the Ohio AP Broadcasters.