Wilmington council tables vote on ordinance that would remove residency law for new hires
After three hours of public comment with Wilmington residents packing the council chambers, the City Council on Thursday tabled an ordinance that would have eliminated the city's residency requirement.
"I feel like we need more time to dig into this," said the ordinance's sponsor, council member Al Mills, who joined the meeting virtually. "We don’t need to be in here debating and arguing with community members."
Proponents of the law’s removal say the residency requirement has “undermined the efficiency” of government and prevented Wilmington from filling critical jobs.
There are 92 job vacancies across Wilmington government, ranging from police officers and sanitation workers to engineers, planners and attorneys.
Council members in opposition to the residency law’s removal had gathered earlier this week outside City Hall to raise attention to the plan and call on council colleagues to postpone action and come up with a compromise.
Over 75 residents filled the council chambers ahead of a vote that never came, with over 25 people speaking mostly in opposition to the law's removal.
BACKGROUND: Why Wilmington is looking to remove residency requirements for new employees
"It is impossible to comprehend that you cannot find people to fill 92 positions in the city," said Audrey McCarthy during public comment at the council meeting Thursday. "I believe it is very degrading to say that you cannot find applicants to fill a trash collection position. I think it is very insulting to our residents in the city."
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What does this mean for new hires?
Whether Wilmington still has a residency requirement for new hires is a matter of debate among city leaders.
While council members attempted to force a vote on the ordinance, the effort didn't garner enough support from the legislative body to move forward, thereby allowing the sponsor – Mills – to hold the measure.
Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki's administration has argued that when the city was granted authority to decide whether to have a residency requirement by the Delaware General Assembly in July 2022 and the City Council failed to act on the measure, it left the jurisdiction without any requirement.
Because the ordinance was first introduced over a year ago to the City Council and later tabled, and was tabled again Thursday night, council rules require the legislative body to vote to put the ordinance back on the agenda.
How we got here
Debate over Wilmington’s residency requirement has been ongoing for years, its preference oscillating with changes in the administration.
Those in favor of the law say requiring employees to live in the city increases loyalty among those employees, enhances the community’s tax base, fosters better community relations and preserves the “character and quality of life” that Wilmington residents value.
Those who oppose the requirement say it limits the applicant pool, making it challenging to find people willing to uproot their families and lives to relocate to the city.
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Until the late 1990s, anyone hired by the city had to live in Wilmington. The law was then changed to require all employees to live in the city for the first five years of employment, according to the City Code.
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington residency requirement in limbo after council tables vote
