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Council amends residency rule for Town Marshal, requires Verde Valley residency within 180 days
Summary
After debate and an initial failed motion, the Camp Verde Council approved Ordinance 2026-A510 as amended to require the Town Marshal to establish residency within a 30-minute radius (Verde Valley) of the Marshal's office within 180 days of hire; the final vote was 6-1.
The Camp Verde Town Council on Feb. 18 approved Ordinance 2026-A510 with an amendment requiring the Town Marshal to establish residency within a 30-minute radius of the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office within 180 days of hire.
Town Manager Miranda Fisher and Town Attorney Trish Stuhan presented background and comparative policies from other municipalities; staff explained that removing the automatic, position-specific residency requirement would still leave council authority under section 3-1-1 of the code to set residency requirements by ordinance. Several residents urged the council to retain strict residency rules for the Marshal, citing public-safety access and community expectations.
The first motion on the ordinance failed by a 4-3 vote. Councilor Brian Bolton then moved to approve the ordinance with an amendment requiring Verde Valley residency; after legal clarification the motion was amended to define residency as within 30 minutes of the Marshal’s office and to require establishment of residency within 180 days of hire. The amended motion passed 6-1 (Vice Mayor Wendy Escoffier opposed). Council discussion recorded concern over the balance between recruitment flexibility and community expectations.
The ordinance change removes an automatic trigger requiring the Town Marshal to live inside town limits but creates a clear, time-bound residency requirement in the Verde Valley; council retains authority to set different residency terms by future ordinance if needed.
