March 19, 2024

City employee 8-mile residency requirement under review

Three topics, including a change to an 8-mile residency requirement restriction were discussed by the Employee Relations Committee at the city council meeting Monday. Council members Evelyn George, Lin Chapé and Steve Mullen along with City Administrator Bob Knabel were present for the meeting.

A request to lift an 8-mile residency requirement was brought before the committee by Newton Police Officer David Watson. The current requirement was last updated in 1984 and has designated some city employees be required to live within eight miles of Newton. He felt after discussion with other city agencies and acquiring information about other comparable cities the requirement be reviewed and updated.

“If I lived one block further to the west, I would be outside that bubble, although the driving distance is just that, one block,” Watson said. “We could use it as a marketing tool. We have lost officers and applicants because of it.”

A suggestion he had is for a possible county restriction, so the designated employees must live within Jasper County. He said from the furthest corners of the county, an employee could make it to Newton in approximately 30 minutes. The committee members wanted to review the current policy and what possibilities are available before moving forward, but were positive about a change to the requirement.

Knabel brought the retirement of Police Chief Jeff Hoebelheinrich to the committee and the process involved with a potential August retirement date and Hoebelheinrich requesting to take his vacation time off, rather than be paid out for it, which prompted Knabel to recommend hiring an outside consultant for the hiring process starting in April. He felt it would give adequate time for the process so the city would be prepared for the August date. The committee motioned to follow Knabel’s recommendation.

Finally, the city was awarded the Hometown Rewards Program from Alliant Energy partnering with Black Hills Energy which is grant in the amount of $76,000 with a $7,000 kick-off bonus to educate and inform residents about energy conservation. The companies recommended the city hire a new position to administer the program on a part-time basis for two years. The committee wanted to look into a contract hire versus a part-time temporary employee before moving forward on the position.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com