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Akron Residency Requirement, 9th District Court Delays the Inevitable
The City of Akron residency requirement was spared a premature death by The 9th District Court of Appeals. This is good news for Akron and Cleveland but the last move has not been made yet. The issue will eventually end up being decided by the Ohio Supreme Court. I think we know where this is headed. The last count of who was on the court didn't bode well for big city mayors trying to defend home rule.
The exodus of public safety employees from city limits will not be as bad in Akron as I expect it to be in Clevetown. If you know anyone in the CPD then you've probably heard first hand the complete disdain for residency requirements and the administrations that want to uphold them. Its unfortunate especially since the citizens of Akron have voted twice to reaffirm the desire to have those who police our city also be part of the community by living amongst us. It's funny you never hear of Ford plant employees driving Honda Accords to work.
1 comment:
Your analogy is off. A Ford employee may choose not to buy a Honda, but if one did, that person would not be fired, or disciplined in any way. And in fact, Ford employeees are given terrific financial incentives to buy Ford vehicles. Unlike a city employee who is given no financial incentive to live in the city, and will be fired if they choose not to. There is no comparison.
OF COURSE Akron residents would like to have police officers and firefighters living next door - who wouldn't? That doesn't give the city the right to specify where its public servants must live. These men and women put their lives on the line every single day to protect people they have never met. Isn't that enough of a sacrifice without restricting their freedom to live where they choose?
If the city wants its workers to live in the city, they ought to offer home down payment assistance programs, or perhaps tax abatements, to make such living an attractive proposition. Much the way Ford offers its employees incentives to buy its vehicles.
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