Lifting residency requirement could benefit Westmoreland County
WHERE YOU LIVE can often be used as the ticket to an opportunity.
Live in the state of Pennsylvania, and you get a better deal on your tuition at a school like the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State or PennWest University. Live in some counties, and you might be able to skip the emissions inspection on your car.
And of course, your address determines things like the taxes you pay and the school your kids attend.
But should it determine your job?
For years, many government entities have had residence requirements for employees. Want to work for the city of Pittsburgh? Be prepared to show your lease agreement, mortgage paperwork or the title to the home you own, plus secondary confirmation like vehicle registration, insurance card or a utility bill.
That’s not unusual. There are plenty of reasons that residency requirements have been used.
Sometimes it is because of the nature of the job. If you are plowing snow for a township, you would be more effective if you lived in the municipality instead of commuting from an hour away.
Sometimes it’s about a feeling of investment in the community that is cutting the paycheck. It definitely helps create a “we’re all in this together” sentiment when everyone is paying taxes in the same place.
But there are other public employers that just don’t care where you live. It’s not unusual at all for a teacher to work in one school district but live in — or even sit on the school board — in another.
The state has residency requirements for some jobs but not others.
Westmoreland County has had a residency requirement for decades. Collect a county salary, have a county address. But as the county has struggled to keep certain positions — like nursing personnel or corrections workers — filled, the requirement was waived to make sure the jobs got done.
On Thursday, commissioners decided to waive the residency requirement for all positions for a year.
It’s a move that might become permanent.
Commissioner Doug Chew said lifting restrictions might help attract people to the county — which has been a goal for years.
“It allows us to invite people to take a job with the county and move here to be closer to their job,” he said.
That’s a great point. Moving is expensive and complicated, especially for a family. What if your spouse has a residency requirement too? Do you want to sell your house for a job before your first day? What happens if it doesn’t work out? The unknowns could keep people from applying.
But if the job can sell the employee on the benefits of the community, moving could be a natural next step.
The best way to serve Westmoreland County is to fill the jobs that benefit the people — from 911 operators to the clerks in courthouse offices to janitorial staff. Making the county run efficiently and effectively helps everyone.
Lifting residency requirement could do that while simultaneously advertising Westmoreland County as a great place to work and live.
