Vote ensures city of Topeka will keep employee residency rule

Topeka City Councilman Tony Emerson, who voted last January in support of doing away with the city’s residency requirement for employees, changed his vote Tuesday evening on that matter to a “no.”

As a result, the proposed rules change failed in a 5-5 vote, with six “yes” votes being needed for approval. That means the residency rule will stay in place.

Emerson said he switched sides due largely to “an outpouring of input from constituents who were adamantly opposed.”

He said another reason he switched was because the Topeka Police Department is doing more “creative recruiting,” consequently reducing the city’s need to do away with the residency rule.

During a city council meeting that lasted more than four hours, Emerson was joined Tuesday in voting to keep that rule by Mayor Michelle De La Isla and council members Sylvia Ortiz, Mike Padilla and Brendan Jensen.

“When you subscribe to this community and you’re working for this community and you love this community, you want to live where you serve,” De La Isla said.