ALBANY — The Albany County Legislature’s Personnel Committee voted unanimously to to waive residency requirements for new hires at most county departments.
If the waiver is approved by the full Legislature at its next meeting on Aug. 8, which is expected, it will be in effect for two years.
“This bipartisan effort will help address a pressing issue,” said Legislator Mark Grimm, a ranking Republican on the Personnel Committee. “We will be better able to fill needed staff positions now and still be able to reevaluate the need for a residency requirement in two years.”
The waiver will not apply to legislature staff.
It will put on hold legislation passed in 1995 that requires all county employees reside in Albany County. It was modified in 2013 to require anyone hired to move into the county at the start of their employment.
Any employees hired during the two-year wavier will be permanently exempt from the residency requirement. It does not eliminate the residency requirement hired prior to the waiver.
Each department will need to provide a report to the Legislature 90 days prior to the expiration of the waiver explaining how, or if, it impacted their ability to hire and retain qualified employees.
