Peabody changes residency requirements

Three months after hiring a police chief who declined to move to Peabody, the city council passed an ordinance Monday removing an earlier requirement that the chief live in the city.

Under the ordinance passed Monday, all appointed officers — city administrator, clerk, municipal court judge, city attorney, and city prosecutor — are required only to live in the state of Kansas.

The ordinance replaces one that required appointed officers, the city administrator, and the city clerk to reside in the city. All other appointed officers were previously required to live in the state.

Police Chief Philip Crom, hired in July, lives in Towanda and commutes to Peabody. The trip takes 38 minutes.

Peabody is a third-class city. State law imposes no residency requirement on appointed officers of third-class cities.

Under state law, second-class cities like Marion, Hillsboro, and Florence are required to appoint officers who live within the city.

However, those cities may waive that requirement with a charter ordinance, subject to petition and referendum by city voters.