The Cordova City Council approved a measure last week that would allow latitude for city employees, specifically by allowing them to live either partially or fully outside of city limits.
“I just think this gives us options,” Council Member Wendy Ranney said before casting her vote to support the ordinance during the council’s Aug. 6 meeting.
The ordinance amends the city’s residency requirement slightly, replacing the “city limits” prerequisite with “greater Cordova area.” Council members noted during the meeting that specific residency requirements can still vary depending on the job.
The city has struggled to fully staff its city positions in recent years – including at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and at the library. But one department that has been hit particularly hard is the Cordova Police Department.
Officials said during the meeting that the department hasn’t been fully staffed since 2017.
“You might have seen the two officers that came in and sat beside me there – that’s your entire police department,” Cordova Police Sergeant Cameron Hayden said during the meeting.
He said creating flexible work schedules and expanding residency requirements will help entice people to work for the force. Hayden also noted this will aid in the department’s modernization efforts.
Council Members Ranney, Kasey Kinsman, Cathy Sherman, and Dave Zastrow passed the ordinance unanimously. Council Members Debra Adams, Aaron Hansen, and Mike Mickelson were absent.
“We’ve been trying that long in various forms and ways to get staff here for our police department,” Kinsman said during the meeting. “This is an avenue that allows this to happen.”
Sherman noted that she’s aware of other parts of the state taking similar measures to promote off-site remote work.
“It’s not just our community that’s looking at options for things like this,” she said.
