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TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: The Mayor's Office
The Law Department
DATE: May 29, 2025
SUBJECT:
The City residency requirement for department heads.
PURPOSE:
To revise the City Code's requirement that the heads of the City's departments must reside in the City.
BACKGROUND:
In August 2017, during the City Council's deliberations on proposed restructuring of the City's departments and divisions, aldermen began to discuss the concept of prospectively requiring department heads to become residents of the City within one year of their appointment. Because the Rules, Administration, and Procedures Committee did not yet exist, deliberations on this concept occurred directly at City Council and led to the adoption of a residency requirement for all department heads appointed after September 12, 2017.
While a majority of the Council believed that requiring residency was important to ensure that senior City staff maintained a strong connection to the City and participated in the community, other members expressed concern that a requirement might it difficult to recruit and retain qualified personnel.
DISCUSSION:
Since the adoption of Ordinance O17-063, the Council has granted extensions to department heads who required additional time to establish residency in the City and considered broadening the requirement to other classes of employees.
In the 8 years since the residency requirement was enacted, the housing market has become significantly tighter, increasing both the costs and the difficulty of relocation. Moreover, while Aurora's salaries are competitive with those offered by other communities as well as those in the private sector, the residency requirement potentially makes our positions less attractive. This can be particularly problematic when a qualified candidate may have children enrolled in schools or a spouse or partner whose own employment may be adversely impacted by relocation.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
Revision of the residency requirement s...
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