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Politics & Government

City Won't Require All Directors To Live Within The City

Council hopes amendment will bring in more candidates for St. Charles City department director positions.

At Tuesday night’s St. Charles City Council meeting, the council introduced a bill that would amend the rule stating all city department directors must live within the city.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Laurie Feldman said candidates for department director positions usually have families and are more established in their homes.

Feldman said finding more than a few people with director experience who live in the city can be a challenge.

“We have had some monumental issues trying to hire people,” Feldman said.

Ward 8 Councilman Mike Klinghammer said in these tough economic times, it is much harder for people to move. Klinghammer said the city does not want to pass up potential directors who live nearby.

“We don’t want to eliminate any good candidates if they happen to live in the metro area or in St. Charles County,” Klinghammer said.

Feldman said department directors who are part of the city’s emergency response team will still have to live in St. Charles to ensure public safety.

“We will be able to draw candidates from anywhere, but yes, we are saying that some directors still need to live in the city,” Feldman said. “We would encourage people to live in the city whenever possible.”

The St. Charles Board of Education is also accepting applications from candidates outside the city for its . Board of education member Wayne Oetting said the right candidate may not want to live within the city limits.

Ward 10 Councilwoman Bridget Ohmes was excused from the meeting.

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