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Alexandria council gives first reading to repeal decades-old police residency requirement
Summary
On first reading June 1, 2026, the Alexandria City Council considered Ordinance 2026-00008-C to repeal two older city ordinances that required police officers to live within the city or nearby. Legal staff said the change aligns the city code with current hiring practice; council members discussed operational and contract implications.
The Alexandria City Council on June 1 took the first formal step toward removing a decades-old residency requirement for city police officers, reading Ordinance 2026-00008-C by title and debating whether to suspend rules for immediate passage.
City Attorney Sydney Dal told the council the city was asked to prepare an ordinance repealing ordinances 1097 and 1452 because the police department has not consistently enforced the residency requirement and the Fraternal Order of Police contract does not require officers to live in the city. "We were asked to prepare an ordinance repealing the city code section in these two ordinances," Dal said, explaining the change is intended to conform the code to current practice.
Dal and other speakers described recent hiring challenges: legal counsel and staff said the department could not fill an opening in the last recruitment cycle and that narrowing candidates by strict residency rules had reduced the eligible pool. Chief Ellis and staff outlined operational concerns about employee travel and car take-home policies, and council members discussed whether administrative rules or contract provisions should address mileage and long commutes.
Council members were told the repeal would not automatically alter any contract terms that supersede ordinances; Dal said collective-bargaining agreements can supersede city code on some employment matters and that administrative policies could manage take-home vehicle allowances.
The ordinance was presented as a first reading. Council members debated suspending the usual rules to consider passage on first reading — a process that would require specific voting thresholds — but the transcript does not record a final adoption vote. Mayor’s office officials and legal staff indicated further steps if the council moves forward: suspension and immediate passage require a unanimous suspension vote followed by at least a two-thirds affirmative vote for first-reading passage.
Next steps: the city will hold any additional readings or votes required under council rules. If adopted, the repeal would remove the residency language from the city code; staffing policies such as car-take-home or travel reimbursement could be handled administratively or through future contract language.
