2019-140 Executive Residency InformationDate: July 5, 2019 Report No. 2019-140
Page 1 of 6
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: Executive Residency Information EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Council Member Briggs requested information about residency requirements. Information was initially included in the May 10, 2019, Friday Report. Subsequent information is being included in this informal staff report, including information on the city of residency for City of Denton
directors, executives in the City Manager’s Office, and City Council appointees (collectively referred to as “Executives”). BACKGROUND:
At the April 23, 2019, Council meeting, Council Member Briggs requested information about the
number of directors and deputy directors that work for the City of Denton, whether their annual salary is over $100,000, and whether they reside within City limits. Information responsive to this request was provided in the May 10, 2019, Friday Report.
During concluding items at the June 4, 2019, City Council meeting, Council Member Briggs
requested additional information regarding residency as well as information on any employment policies/incentives. Texas Local Government Code §150.021 prohibits a municipality from requiring residency within
the municipal limits as a condition of employment with the municipality, with the exception of
municipal department heads appointed by the mayor or governing body of the municipality. The City of Denton Charter only requires residency for the City Manager. Specifically, section 5.01 states, “At the time of his appointment he need not be a resident of the city or state but during his tenure of office he shall reside within the city.”
Although residency is not required for any position other than the City Manager, the City of Denton offers relocation assistance for certain positions. There are no stipulations that the employee must move within Denton’s city limits; however, expectations have been that they must move within a reasonable response time to the workplace. Relevant sections of the City’s
Recruitment and Relocation Expenses policy (#101.05) are below.
II. RELOCATION
Relocation expenses may be made available for executive positions, positions that are highly competitive or difficult to fill. The activities outlined below may be paid. Some of
these expenses may be taxable income to the employee based on IRS regulations at the time
of reimbursement.
A. Travel for Employee and Family
Date: July 5, 2019 Report No. 2019-140
Page 2 of 6
1. "House Hunting": Travel expenses for employee and one additional person for "house hunting" at new location—includes one round-trip per person, not to
exceed seven days including travel. This includes transportation and reasonably
priced lodging, It also includes food and incidental expenses using the Arlington/Fort Worth/Grapevine GSA per diem rate.
2. Family Move: Travel expenses for employee and family to move from former location to new location—includes transportation and reasonably priced lodging.
It also includes food and incidental expenses using the Arlington/Fort
Worth/Grapevine GSA per diem rate. The City will reimburse the IRS standard
mileage rate for moving only one automobile.
3. Close of Sale of Home: Travel expenses for employee to return to former location to "close" sale of former home—includes one round-trip. Includes transportation and reasonably priced lodging, It also includes food and incidental expenses en
route at the applicable GSA per diem rate.
B. Temporary Living Expenses at New Location
The City may pay reasonable lodging expenses for an employee at their new location for a maximum of 90 days.
III. MOVING EXPENSES
Moving expenses may be paid for executive, highly competitive, or difficult to fill positions. Moving expenses will include all reasonable expenses in connection with packing, moving, unpacking, and insuring of household furniture.
When using a moving company, three quotes will typically be required. If authorized in
accordance with this directive, the lowest of three quotes will be reimbursed, unless a lesser amount is specified in writing.
Comparison to Other Cities Fourteen (14) cities in the DFW metroplex were surveyed to determine if they had residency requirements for any positions, if they provide incentives to live in the city limits, or if there is current relocation policy. Twelve (12) of the cities responded. Of those 12 cities, nine (9) require
residency of one or more positions. While only two cities reported that they had relocation language written in a policy, an additional four cities have a practice of offering a relocation allowance for certain level positions. Only one city (Mesquite) reported they had an incentive, and it was for Police Officers. The reported incentive is more of a relocation assistance, not to exceed $2,500, for Police Officers who move within the city limits. A compilation of the survey responses is included in Table
1 on pages 3 and 4.
Date: July 5, 2019 Report No. 2019-140
Page 3 of 6
Table 1
Survey of Other Cities Regarding Residency Requirements, Relocation Policy, and Incentives to Live Within the City Limits
June 2019
No Yes If yes, what position(s)?
Arlington No response
Carrollton X City Manager and Assistant City Manager The following language is included as part of the compensation policy:
Reasonable relocation costs may be reimbursed for management level
positions.
None
Flower
Mound
X Town Manager No policy None
Fort Worth X City Manager, Police Chief, and Fire Chief Yes. The policy states: The City may provide a relocation allowance for
employees hired into executive, Director, Assistant Director, or hard-to-fill
positions (as designated by the Talent Acquisition Division) for reasonable
relocation (moving) costs. A minimum relocation distance of 50 miles from a
former residence to the new work location is required for an allowance
consideration. Specific relocation allowance amounts are determined by the
hiring manager and must be approved by the Department Director. Relocation
allowances for Assistant Director and hard-to-fill positions must be approved
by the Human Resources Director. Relocation allowances for executive and
Director level positions will require City Manager approval. All allowances
are subject to budget availability. In no event shall a relocation allowance
exceed 10% of the new hire’s annualized salary. The relocation allowance is a
one-time payment that will be included with the employee's regular paycheck.
The approved relocation allowance should be documented in the candidate's
offer letter or subsequent documentation. The City will comply with all
applicable federal and state income tax withholding and Form W-2 reporting
requirements for a relocation allowance. If an employee voluntarily or
involuntarily terminates employment with the City of Fort Worth during the
twenty-four (24) month period following their hire date, the employee may be
required to make full or partial repayment of the relocation allowance, which
may be deducted, in whole or in part, from the employee’s pay or other
compensation to be paid to the employee.
None
Frisco X N/A No policy None
Residency Requirement
Relocation Policy Incentive(s) to Live in City LimitsCity
Date: July 5, 2019 Report No. 2019-140
Page 4 of 6
Table 1, continued
No Yes If yes, what position(s)?
Garland X City Manager No formal policy but have offered a relocation allowance for some in the past.
An example of what was offered based on one offer letter is as follows:
Relocation expenses directly attributable to move will be reimbursed on the
lowest of 3 relocation bids (not to exceed $10,000).
None
Grand Prairie X N/A No policy None
Irving X Presiding Municipal Court Judge, the Municipal Court
Judge, and the City Manager
No formal policy but have offered a relocation allowance for some Executives
in the past.
None
Lewisville X City Manager No relocation policy but have reimbursed moving expenses for executive level
positions in the past. They are required to obtain three quotes and go with the
lowest one.
None
Little Elm No response
McKinney X Mayor and City Council, but not department heads No policy None
Mesquite X City Manager, Deputy City Manager, Assistant City
Manager, Director of Economic Development and Police
Chief
A relocation allowance has been authorized for certain Executive positions.
The amount is pre-determined by where they are moving from and there are
some stipulations. They are advised in their contingent offer letter that in
exchange for this assistance, they will remain an employee of the City of
Mesquite for at least five years. Should they voluntarily depart from the City's
employment prior the five years of service, they will be expected to repay the
City a prorated share of the allowance based upon the length of employment.
POLICY: Police Officers employed after May 1, 2006 will be eligible to
apply for reimbursement of expenses associated with relocation of
personal residence so long as the new address is within the City of
Mesquite. The reimbursement of moving expenses may not exceed
$2,500.00 for each qualified Police Officer. This policy further
stipulates that such relocation reimbursement must be: verified by the
Director of Human Resources to be related to the moving of a
household. Typically such household moving expenses will include the
following: a moving service, rental of a moving van/trailer, moving
supplies such as boxes, mileage of personal vehicles used in the move,
deposits for utility services, lease application fees, security deposit
required in a lease, and any other related expenses approved by the
Director of Human Resources; related to temporary living quarters for
up to three months; verified with detailed receipts; for relocations
completed within 18 months of the Police Officer's hire date;
accompanied by a signed "Promissory Note" obligating repayment of
any relocation reimbursement received if the Police Officer does not
complete at least two full years of employment with the City of
Mesquite.
Plano X City Manager, Police Chief, and Fire Chief None
Richardson X City Manager and Assistant City Managers No policy None
Residency Requirement
Relocation Policy Incentive(s) to Live in City LimitsCity
Date: July 5, 2019 Report No. 2019-140
Page 5 of 6
Table 2
City of Denton
Residency for Executives as of June 21, 2019
Name Department Residency Job Title
Arora, Pushpendra S Wastewater Coppell Director of Wastewater
Banks, Kenneth E Water Whitesboro General Manager of Utilities
Bekker, Jennifer Marie Library Services Denton Director of Libraries
Boerner, Brian Keith Solid Waste Pilot Point Director of Solid Waste
Canizares, Mario Alberto City Manager's Office Coppell Deputy City Manager/COO
Cox, Ethan Lendon Public Works Argyle Director of Public Works
Dalal, Umesh Vinochandra Internal Audit Keller City Auditor
Dixon III, Frank Ralph Police Flower Mound Police Chief
Estes, William Todd Engineering Denton Dir Cap Projects/City Engineer
Fox, Holly Elizabeth Municipal Judge's Office Flower Mound Municipal Court Judge
Gaines, David Jeffrey Finance Frisco Director of Finance
Hedges, Kenneth W Fire Corinth Fire Chief
Hensley, Sara Lynn City Manager's Office Denton Assistant City Manager
Hileman, Lawrence Todd City Manager's Office Denton City Manager
Kraft, Melissa C Technology Services Frisco Chief Technology Officer
Kuechler, Sarah E Public Communications Corinth Dir of Public Affairs & IGR
Leal, Aaron Legal Denton City Attorney
McDonald, Scott Alexander Development Services Keller Development Svcs Director/CBO
Ogden, Cassandra D Procurement/Compliance Denton Director of Prcmt & Compl
Packan, Gary Robert Parks and Recreation Arlington Director of Parks & Recreation
Puente Jr, Antonio Finance Denton Chief Financial Officer
Pugsley, Frank East Water Flower Mound Director of Water
Rogers, Jessica A Economic Development Corinth Director of Economic Dvmt
Romine, Carla Jean Human Resources Frisco Director of Human Resources
Thomson, Tiffany Marie Customer Service Hickory Creek Director of Customer Service
Wood, Rachel Smithson City Manager's Office Denton Chief of Staff
Residency Information for Executives Table 2, below, provides a list of City of Denton Executives and residency.
CONCLUSION: With Denton’s location in the DFW metroplex, employees have many options where to live while
still having a reasonable commute to work. Where people choose to live can be impacted by
several factors including, but not limited to, housing inventory and cost, proximity to family and/or friends, family preference, schools, and other activities. STAFF CONTACT:
Carla Romine, Director of Human Resources (940) 348-8344 carla.romine@cityofdenton.com
Date: July 5, 2019 Report No. 2019-140
Page 6 of 6
REQUESTOR: Council Member Briggs
PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS: Human Resources, City Attorney’s Office, City Manager’s Office STAFF TIME TO COMPLETE REPORT: 12 hours