City must enforce residency ordinance
The residency ordinance is good public policy and should not be ignored. No one, including talented, high-profile and high-ranking officials, should be exempt.
Plus, it’s difficult to understand why city workers wouldn’t want to live in the city. The size of a city’s work force and how it is compensated is dictated by its tax base.
City workers should be cheerleaders for cities if for no other reason than it is in their best interest. City workers should pay city taxes.
Critics are wrong in asserting the law limits Jackson’s talent pool. Melton can still recruit workers from anywhere, including Afghanistan.
But once they sign on, they must understand a basic expectation of a Jackson city employee: They must live in and pay their fair share in Jackson.
Eric Stringfellow
Clarion Ledger
7/14/5
