Robinson indicated that the matter would probably not resurface, though he believed compelling justification existed for revisiting the proposal.
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“>Councillor Leo Robinson has long been advocating for the implementation of a public safety residency requirement, and at the last regular Council meeting, Nov. 10, he took a different tack – focusing on economic development.
“>“The virtues of hiring local residents for local jobs are obvious,” he said. “More employment in the community represents more spending, more tax revenues and less crime. Employment policies should be equally concerned with retaining high-skill, high-wage workers within our community.”
“>Robinson said he found that in the Fire Department, of the 92 positions, 72 are people who do not live in Chelsea. He said the base salary is $72,746, which represents $5.2 million out of the total Fire Department salary budget.
“>For the police, he said of the 102 positions, 68 officers live outside of Chelsea. With a base salary at $76,468, that represents $5.1 million out of a $7.6 million Police Department Salary Budget. So, in that case, he said $5.1 million is leaving the city.
“>“That’s a lot of money leaving our city,” he said. “That is money that could be used to buy a house in Chelsea. That’s money that could be used to support local businesses in Chelsea. The possibilities are endless, but some other community is getting that benefit and not us.”
“>Council President Matt Frank said his position on the issue is steadfast, and he was opposed to it being brought up again after having been defeated this past March by a similar vote.
“>Councillor Clifford Cunningham said he could not support it and that Robinson’s tactic of forcing a vote revealed plenty about the proposal.
“>Councillor Joe Perlatonda agreed with Robinson, saying he believed that the economic argument was powerful.