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Committee approves option for second-class cities to hire attorneys who live in neighboring counties
Summary
Senate Bill 524, presented as a recommendation from an Indiana Supreme Court commission, passed 12-0 to allow second-class cities the option to hire a city attorney who resides in an adjacent county rather than requiring county residency.
The Local Government Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 524, which makes it optional for second-class cities to hire an attorney who resides in a contiguous county. The committee recorded the vote as 12-0 in favor of the bill.
Senator Crossman told the committee the bill responds to a lawyer shortage identified by a commission convened by the Indiana Supreme Court and that the change is permissive, not mandatory. “This is merely an option,” Crossman said, describing the bill as a way to give second-class cities additional hiring flexibility when a qualified attorney lives in a neighboring county.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about how the rule would operate. Representative Johnson asked whether a city could, after the bill passes, choose to limit hiring to in-county residents and whether that would constitute discrimination on the basis of geography. Crossman said the statute previously required county residency and that the bill simply expands options for cities; it does not require hiring outside the county.
Chairman May called the roll after a motion and second; the recorded vote was 12-0 and the bill was advanced out of committee. No public witnesses were recorded as testifying against the bill in the hearing record.
