Photo by Eric Gilliland

Only about 25 percent of D.C. firefighters actually live in the city. The same goes for police, teachers and many other D.C. government employees, who live in Maryland, Virginia and even West Virginia and Pennsylvania. But should anything be done about it?

A D.C. Council committee will debate a trio of bills today that would address the large number of non-resident D.C. government workers, including one proposal that would require them to pay four percent of their salary annually to the city—a non-resident tax, if you will. Another bill would require D.C. agency heads and the mayor to justify the hiring of non-residents for government positions, while a third would expand residency requirements for D.C. workers making over a certain amount.

For local legislators that back the proposals, they are merely a way to address the fact that the money paid to non-resident government workers can’t be taxed. Additionally, they address repeated complaints that local government jobs are being filed by non-residents while unemployment in some parts of the city remains high. In the case of firefighters and police, some have expressed concern that they wouldn’t be able to get back to D.C. in case of a serious emergency.

But according to the Examiner, public sector unions aren’t impressed with the bills, saying that they would discourage qualified non-residents from seeking D.C. jobs. Moreover, some say, D.C. is simply too expensive a place to live for many on a local government salary.