Lifting Joliet residency rule for city workers stirs more debate

Mayor Terry D’Arcy on Tuesday said Joliet needs more apartments if it wants a residency requirement for city workers.

D’Arcy’s comments came as the City Council approved a second union contract allowing city workers to live as far a 50 miles away.

One resident called the vote “anti-Joliet” as debate continued over whether the city should keep a residency requirement.

D’Arcy repeated his argument that the city lacks the availalbe housing, especially apartments, needed to hire workers with a residency rule in place.

“Joliet has zero apartments,” D’Arcy said at one point, leading one council member to ask him to clarify what he meant.

D’Arcy pointed to Lockport and Romeoville where hundreds of apartments have been built in recent years.

“We haven’t built any in a long time,” D’Arcy said, contending that there are not enough apartments available. “They’re all full. But the other surrounding communities have built them while we haven’t.”

D’Arcy made another pitch for new apartments when the city approved the Downtown Joliet Equitable Transit Oriented Development Plan.

The plan calls for redevelopment around the Gateway Center transit hub downtown, including multi-story buildings with apartments.

“We need more vertical housing,” D’Arcy said. “We need more density, and the place to do it is in the heart of the city.”

The removal of the residency rule was the focus of debate at the meeting.

Three people spoke against, at times questioning the argument that Joliet lacks the housing needed to require that newly hired workers move into the city.

“It’s not about affordable housing. We know that,” resident Rita Slattery said. “This is more an an anti-Joliet vote.”

State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, sent her chief of staff, Jessica Wimbley, to read a statement against removing the residency rule.

“City workers, particularly those in public safety, should have a direct stake in the city that they serve,” Wimbley said.

Damon Zdunich, who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in April despite strong backing from D’Arcy, made his second appearance at a council meeting to oppose lifting the residency rule

“It suggests Joliet residents aren’t qualified,” Zdunich said.

He suggested that City Hall engage in a community initiative to recruit young people in Joliet for city jobs, including firefighters and police officers.

“Approving this proposal (removing residency) sends the wrong message,” Zdunich said. “It tells young people in Joliet that they are not good enough.”

The city put out a news release on Monday saying the “expanded residency is part of the city’s effort to attract applicants from not only Joliet but also its neighboring communities.”

The council voted 9-0 for the contract with Local 2369 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents supervisors in the fire department.

Two weeks ago the council approved a contract for rank-and-file firefighters that containced the same 50-mile residency allowance.

At that time, three council members said they did not support removal of the residency requirement but would not vote against the contract.