Border areas create residency issues in Iowa

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By Tom Saul | Saturday, July 05, 2008 |

For many of Iowa’s local government workers, the only residency requirement they face is having to live in the state, according to Iowa law.

But for some, even that is too constricting, especially for those who live in border cities where it could be more convenient for both the local government and the employee if he or she were allowed to live in another state, said Les Norin, a Davenport firefighter who heads the department’s fire union.

“Under our policy, I have to live in Scott County or eastern Muscatine County,” Norin said. “If I were allowed to live in downtown Rock Island, I could get to work a lot faster than if I lived in Princeton (Iowa, in northeast Scott County).”

That is just the kind of situation a bill introduced last year in the Iowa Legislature by State Rep. Doug Struyk, R-Council Bluffs, was designed to correct. The bill was eventually put before a House committee on state government, where it was opposed by lobbyists for the Iowa League of Cities and consequently died.

The bill was sought by Council Bluffs firefighters who, under a city residency policy, can live as far as 45 minutes away in Pottawattamie County and any of four other surrounding counties. But they are barred from living across the Missouri River in Omaha, Neb., Struyk said. Omaha is about a seven-minute drive from Council Bluffs’ central fire station.

“Omaha firefighters can live in Council Bluffs, but Council Bluffs firefighters can’t live in Omaha,” Struyk said. “I was asked to introduce the bill and some in the Legislature wanted to look at it, but some others are partial to keeping tax dollars in Iowa.”

Omaha has better-funded schools and a greater variety of housing available, said Justin James, president of Council Bluffs Professional Firefighters Local 15. Some of his members think Council Bluffs officials should not have the right to tell them where to live, provided they work their shifts as scheduled and are good employees.

“Those who want it passed say they are not allowed to live where they want,” James said. “We also lose a lot of firefighters to Nebraska.”

Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan described himself as “old school” for his belief that certain employees should be available quickly in an emergency. City employees, through their labor unions, also shouldn’t tell taxpayers what level of service to pay for when they are unwilling to live with it themselves.

“All of our department heads have to live in the city,” Hanafan said. “I have to live in the city because I’m the mayor. It gives us a better feel for what we do. I don’t see why other city employees shouldn’t feel the same way.”

But James said it’s a matter of allowing employees to decide what is best for themselves and their families without interference from their bosses.

“Some of us feel we should have the right to live where we want,” he said.

Tom Saul can be contacted at (563) 383-2453 or tsaul@qctimes.com.