County council amends personnel code to remove five-year residency exception for division heads

Luzerne County Council voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance amending the county personnel code to remove language that had exempted certain division heads and management positions from a residency requirement after five years of service.

Council debated the provision in multiple meetings. At the August 5 session, a council member moved to delete the clause “after the employee has attained five years of continued employment with the county” from the residency section; the amendment passed and council subsequently adopted the ordinance on final roll call with unanimous support.

Supporters said the change is intended to ensure high-level county employees maintain a local stake in county affairs and to discourage perceived nepotism and consolidation of political power. Several council members said residency is not a protected class and that hiring managers can continue to consider qualifications during recruitment.

Opponents at previous meetings had argued that retaining the five-year exception would help recruit and retain a limited candidate pool for specialized positions, especially when qualified applicants live just outside county lines. Council amended the language to remove the five-year carve-out while leaving the residency requirement in place for the identified positions.

The ordinance’s final text removes the five-year clause in at least two places in the draft; council asked staff and the Office of Law to ensure consistent edits across the document before publication.

Council members said human resources will apply the revised residency rule in future recruitments and that current employees who live outside Luzerne County were not immediately removed by the vote; the ordinance applies prospectively to hiring and appointment processes unless otherwise stated in the final ordinance text.