The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the elimination of the residency requirement for city managers as a way to open the door for more candidates to apply for the city’s top administrative job.
Since 1976, the city has required city managers to live in Rolling Meadows after their first six months on the job to encourage their interest in the city.
By lifting the residency requirement, city officials hope to increase the pool of prospects for city manager. Some candidates may be reluctant to move, uprooting their children from schools and their spouses from jobs.
The city is looking for a replacement for former manager Robert Beezat, who resigned last April. Police Chief Gerald Aponte is the acting city manager.
During Beezat’s tenure, the council approved a $50,000 loan to help Beezat in buying a house in the city, which he did. But some aldermen came under fire during the last election for granting the loan.
Beezat has until April to repay the loan.
