SHELBY CO., Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – Shelby County first responders hired this year will be exempt from residency requirements, but it will cost them. The ordinance approved by Shelby County Commissioners Monday affects sheriff deputies, jailers, corrections officers, firefighters, and paramedics hired from April 1, 2020 through April 2022. If those new employees choose to live outside Shelby County, their salaries would be cut by $2,500 during their first year of employment.
“This is a choice not a force. This is a choice. This is so people don’t feel stuck here or feel they have to move here or if there’s family obligations. It’s just a choice that frees them up,” said Shelby County Commissioner Amber Mills.
The debate leading up to the change in policy comes after Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner expressed concern over not having enough deputies. The City of Memphis has yet to resolve similar concerns over residency for police and firefighters.
