Lots of things set St. Louis apart from other Missouri municipalities, from its fixation with the high school question to bread-sliced bagels. So the fact that the city of St. Louis is one of few municipalities in the state with a residency requirement for most of its government employees is hardly its most defining.
But right now, it might be the most hotly contested. After the Board of Aldermen rejected last fall Mayor Lyda Krewson’s plan to put the issue to voters — and have city residents decide whether to continue requiring city workers to live within the city limits — Krewson is now pushing for the Legislature to take up her cause. House leadership seems on board.
On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske talked with longtime local journalist Ray Hartmann, who has a column in this week’s Riverfront Times on this subject. Also joining the discussion was St. Louis Public Radio reporter Rachel Lippmann.
On Tuesday, the talk show team took to Twitter to ask listeners for their thoughts on the issue via an informal poll.
On tomorrow's show (1/15), we'll discuss the debate surrounding #STL's city-residency requirement for police officers and other city workers. What's your take on the residency requirement?
— St. Louis on the Air (@STLonAir) January 14, 2020
Listen to the conversation:
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The engineer is Aaron Doerr, and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.
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