Steering group recommends clarifying: ‘no residency requirement’ for city employees to preserve 2021 change

Commissioners reviewed confusing charter language that referred to a now-blank code section governing residency requirements and agreed to clarify the charter to reflect the city’s post-2021 practice.

Donna Fleming, Commissioner, explained that a code provision previously referenced by the charter was repealed in 2021 and that leaving the charter silent could allow an unintended state-law residency default to apply. Fleming urged explicit language: “there is no residency requirement for city of Ithaca employees,” which she and others said would maintain the status quo established by the local law.

Members also discussed residency rules for volunteers on boards and commissions. The current default—no more than one-third non-residents (two-thirds residents)—remains under consideration; commissioners noted a tension between residency preferences and the practical need to recruit candidates with specialized expertise.

The steering committee agreed to add explicit “no residency requirement for employees” language to the draft and to surface the boards-and-commissions residency question for broader discussion at the full commission meeting.