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Evansville commission endorses residency bonus point, debates felony-expungement language
Summary
The Evansville Fire Merit Commission voted unanimously April 8 to endorse adding a residency bonus point to the department's merit ordinance and discussed allowing applicants with expunged or sealed felony records to proceed case-by-case.
The Evansville Fire Merit Commission voted unanimously April 8 to endorse adding a one-point residency bonus to the department's hiring merit ordinance and recommended the change to the union and city administration for legal review.
Commissioners said the change is intended to give a small hiring preference to applicants who live within the city limits while retaining legal and background-check safeguards. The commission also discussed language that would allow applicants with expunged or sealed felony convictions to apply and be considered on a case-by-case basis rather than being automatically disqualified.
The commission's motion, carried unanimously, asked staff to draft residency boundaries (for example six months or one year within the city) and to ensure the ordinance clearly limits bonus stacking so no applicant receives more than two total bonus points from legacy, military and residency categories. Commissioners emphasized that the residency point would be subject to legal review before being presented to City Council.
During debate, Chief Garrett said allowing applicants with expunged juvenile or sealed felony records does not “necessarily mean that you're not gonna be a good firefighter,” and argued for case-by-case review rather than an absolute bar. Commissioners and staff clarified that background checks and conditional-offer requirements would remain in place and that any candidate with an “egregious” record would still be excluded after vetting.
The commission also reviewed how and when background checks and conditional offers occur: initial screening includes eviction and driving-record checks, followed by drug screening and physical and psychological exams; final approval is handled by the state pension/retirement review after medical and psychological clearance.
The endorsement directs staff to finalize residency definitions and legal language and to bring the revised ordinance forward to City Council once legal review and the union consultation are complete.
