BOSTON – At today’s Council Meeting, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn will file a hearing order to discuss the residency requirement for City of Boston employees. Recent challenges of employee recruitment and retention have raised questions about the efficacy and impact of the residency requirement, especially for positions with lower wages. There remains many vacancies for emergency response support roles, traffic and parking-related supervisors, public works, equipment and repair-related workers.

The cost of living in Boston has significantly increased since the residency requirement was introduced in 1976. At the time, the requirement was intended so that city employees are directly invested in the communities they serve, and to ensure working families remained in Boston. Now, rising housing prices, rent, and general expenses have placed a huge financial burden on residents, including city employees.

Younger recruits and lower wage employees face particular challenges living in the city due to the high cost of living, where the average salary for a city employee is $79,000, and the median sale price of a house is $961,250. Moreover, according to a recent study conducted by SmartAsset, a single adult has to make over $124,966 a year to live comfortably in the city, whereas a family of four has to make $319,738.

While the City established a temporary moratorium on certain public safety-related and specialized roles such as lifeguards, 9-1-1 call takers and police dispatchers, hiring for these positions remains difficult, not to mention other lower-wage roles that require residency.

“As Boston continues to rank as one of the most expensive cities to live in the United States, it is critical that we discuss whether the city’s residency requirement has impacted our ability to recruit and retain talent to ensure both public safety and the quality of life for our residents,” said Councilor Flynn. “While the residency requirement was implemented so that workers are invested in the communities they serve, the reality now is that many of our dedicated employees and working families are unable to afford nearly $1 million for a home, or to raise their families with the high cost of living. It is worthwhile for us to have a conversation about whether we can continue to attract and retain not only public safety roles, but also positions that work to deliver those basic city services that help to keep our city moving forward.”

For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 and [email protected].