BURLINGTON — The mayor and a city councilor are pushing a change in the city charter that would relax Burlington’s residency requirement for department heads.
A resolution sponsored Mayor Miro Weinberger and City Councilor Joan Shannon, D-Southern District, would require that department heads own a home in Chittenden County, but would not require residency in Burlington.
It would also give the mayor a vote on whether to grant hardship exemptions for their appointees.
At their meeting Thursday, the Charter Change Committee punted on the resolution, saying they needed more time to debate the change before a vote. The measure will be discussed again the committee’s next meeting on June 22.
The Burlington charter now states that department heads must be registered to vote in Burlington. Department heads are given a year courtesy period, after which the city council can grant them a hardship exemption to live outside the city.
The idea is that if a qualified candidate has a home nearby, then they should not have to uproot their lives in order to serve, Shannon said.
The resolution comes out of inconsistent decisions about residency in the past, she said.
The debate cropped up again last month, when councilors voted to confirm Noelle MacKay, Weinberger’s pick to lead the Community and Economic Development Office, and granted her a hardship exemption to remain in her Shelburne home.
Shannon said she believes it is better to have a clear policy in place, “rather than a whim of the council on any given day.”
Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, who voted against MacKay’s nomination and against granting her a hardship exemption, said he disagrees with Shannon. If someone is serving the city of Burlington, they should live here, especially if they lead a city department, he said.
Shannon said that sometimes the most qualified candidate may not be the one living in Burlington, and that this resolution provides clarity.
“We should give an exemption to everyone or no one,” Shannon said.
