In a recent announcement, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki expressed concerns about the residency requirement for City employees, stating that it was undermining the efficiency of the city government. The Mayor’s comments came as the city faces a critical shortage of employees in various essential positions according to the Mayor’s office.
Officials said the residency requirement, which mandated that City employees live within the city limits, had posed challenges in filling crucial job vacancies. Positions in the areas of engineering, planning, law, sanitation, emergency services, and law enforcement, among others, remained unfilled due to potential applicants’ reluctance to adhere to the residency rule.
To address this issue, Mayor Purzycki’s office sought legal advice from the City Law Department regarding the enforcement of residency requirements. The City Council was granted the authority to determine the extent of residency requirements by the Delaware General Assembly in 2022. The Mayor’s proposed Ordinance to eliminate any remaining references to residency received support from Council Member Al Mills and other members of the Council.
The Mayor highlighted the critical positions that had been left vacant, stating, “There are critical government positions open such as engineers, planners, attorneys, sanitation drivers and collectors, a water lab supervisor, 911 emergency dispatchers, and police officers among others.” He expressed hope that by eliminating the residency requirement, more applicants would come forward to fill these positions, ultimately improving the efficiency of city services.
John Rago, the Mayor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, provided historical context and explained how the residency requirement hindered the hiring of employees. He noted that the City Administration had sought an amendment to the City Charter in early 2022 to allow the city, rather than the state, to determine residency requirements. This amendment was granted by the General Assembly in July 2022.
However, the Council’s action on this issue had been pending for over a year, leading to a void regarding residency. In response, the Administration decided not to enforce the requirement and empowered department directors to hire without considering residency officials said in a statement earlier this week.
Currently, the city has 92 vacant positions out of 1,079 authorized in the budget, with 15 of them posted for applicants. Many of the vacancies have existed for a significant period, leading to challenges in maintaining the city’s operational efficiency according to the Mayor’s office.
Thursday night the residency requirement issue went before the City Council as Ordinance 22-035, which sought to codify Mayor Purzycki’s decision to stop enforcing the requirement. The ordinance faced opposition from some community members during a council meeting. While the main argument for ending the requirement was the high vacancy rate in city jobs, a portion of the community expressed concerns about hiring from outside the city and argued for changing recruitment tactics and community engagement instead.
Council Member Al Mills, the sponsor of the ordinance, decided to hold it for further discussion, emphasizing the need for a council-based debate and more time to deliberate on the matter.
In response to the uncertainty surrounding the enforcement of the residency requirement, Councilman Vincent White raised concerns about the Mayor’s authority to halt enforcement, asserting that only the City Council had the power to make such decisions.
Moving forward, the City Council will continue discussions. The fate of the residency requirement and its enforcement will be revisited at a later council meeting.