The Lead City Commission discussed whether to relax the city's residency requirement for employees at its Jan. 6 meeting, focusing in particular on law enforcement recruitment and response times.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the current rule limits candidates for public-safety and public-works jobs at a time when many departments statewide report staffing shortages; opponents said loosening the rule would weaken community ties for employees and could lengthen emergency response times.

Chief (Public Safety) said the department has been short-staffed and some qualified applicants decline to apply because they cannot live inside the Lead Deadwood School District. "It's very expensive to hire somebody to come here and live," the chief said, arguing the restriction reduces the pool of candidates and can leave the city vulnerable when officers are out of town for arrests or transports.

Commissioner Dustin (City Commissioner) said he understands the chief's recruitment concerns but raised the importance of local community involvement. "I think there's time to have a good discussion about all those," Dustin said, noting long-term volunteerism and board participation are often lower for people who live outside town.

Several commissioners proposed alternatives to the current school-district limit. Commissioner Robin (City Commissioner) and others suggested a radius anchored on city hall of about 10 to 15 miles; one commissioner recommended 30 to 35 miles to include nearby towns such as Spearfish, Sturgis and Whitewood. "A radius more so . . . almost seems more logical to me," one commissioner said, adding it would include nearby mountain areas while excluding distant parts of the school district that are impractical for daily response.

Speakers also noted practical barriers: housing prices, spouse employment and weather-driven travel risks. Commissioner Virginia (City Commissioner) asked the commission to account for situations when a storm or travel restriction might prevent an employee from returning home and suggested planning for lodging in those cases.

No formal vote was taken. The commission closed the discussion after hearing multiple perspectives and requests for more analysis; several members asked staff to draft options (including a mileage radius) for a future meeting.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to return with potential amendments and comparisons to neighboring jurisdictions for further consideration.