Sycamore city lifts 20-mile residency requirement for certain employees amid hiring challenges

SYCAMORE - Sycamore city employees who aren’t first responders or union workers will no longer have to live within 20 miles of city limits, after a residency requirement was lifted this week.

City officials have said rule change was meant to address hiring challenges, and make city employment more appealing to outside candidates.

According to city documents, the changes will mean employees no longer have to live within 20 miles of the intersection of State and Main streets in Sycamore. The new radius requirement will be 30 miles within city limits.

Those who would be subject to the residency exemption will be identified by the city manager, according to city documents, and approved by the Sycamore City council on a case-by-case basis.

Police officers, firefighters and non-clerical public works employees are considered “critical” municipal employees, documents show, and will still be required to live within 20 miles.

“So all others we are requesting that employee change would be to 30 miles,” said Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall.

The new policy will be written into the employee handbook to convey that the residency requirement would be lifted except where employees are contractually obligated to live in the city, such as first responders. The change also won’t impact unionized employees already under a collective bargaining contract, documents show.

Earlier this month, Hall said the reason for the request came as city staff looked to hire a new assistance finance director for the finance department, who lived 22 miles away.

A new hire date for the pending finance director is set for June 1.