A change in the residency requirement was the main item of discussion in the Tuesday night Caney City Council meeting.

 

 Mayor Josh Elliott says the requirement to allow Caney city employees and emergency personnel to live outside the city limits was proposed in October of 2021, but was never ratified. Last night's approval allows city employees and emergency personnel to live within a twenty mile radius of Caney city limits. Any employee wishing to continue to live outside that radius would have to be approved by the city council or police chief.

 

 Elliott says housing concerns is the main reason for this ordinance.

 

Elliot says using the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan and the Land Bank should help Caney with nice and affordable housing in the next three to five years, but allowing employees to live within a reasonable distance now helps the city gain essential employees in the present.