City of Bridgeton, NJ Article I Hiring Preferences and Residency Requirements

[Adopted 5-3-1977 by Ord. No. 76-32]

§ 40-1 Residency as condition of hiring and continued employment.

A. All persons who shall hereafter become employees of the City are required as a condition of their continued employment to have their place of abode in the City and to be bona fide residents therein, except as otherwise provided by the New Jersey Statutes. A bona fide resident, for the purpose of this section, is a person having a permanent residence within the City and one which has not been adopted with the intention of again taking up or claiming a previous residence acquired outside of the City limits.

[Amended 10-18-2011 by Ord. No. 11-13[1]]

[1] Editor’s Note: This ordinance also changed the title of Article I from "Residency Requirements" to "Hiring Preferences and Residency Requirements."

B. Any employee of the City of Bridgeton who is hired after the effective date of this article as a permanent employee under New Jersey Department of Personnel Regulations shall be required, as a condition of continued employment with the City of Bridgeton, to establish a place of abode within the City of Bridgeton and to be a bona fide resident therein within one year from the date of permanent appointment except as otherwise provided by the New Jersey Statutes or this article.

[Amended 5-3-1977 by Ord. No. 76-33; 6-21-1994 by Ord. No. 93-27]

C. All applicants will be given preference for appointment for positions in the following order:

[Amended 10-18-2011 by Ord. No. 11-13]

(1) Residents of the City of Bridgeton;

(2) Residents of Cumberland County;

(3) Residents of contiguous counties;

(4) Residents of the State of New Jersey; and

(5) Residents of the United States.[2]

[2] Editor’s Note: Former Subsection D, regarding Cumberland County residents being given first preference for employment with the City, added 6-21-1999 by Ord. No. 98-18, which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed 10-18-2011 by Ord. No. 11-13.

§ 40-2 Exceptions.

The Mayor, with the advice of the Business Administrator and the employee's department head, is hereby authorized in his discretion, for good cause shown, to permit any officer or employee of the City in his respective department or office to remain in the employ of the City without complying with the provisions hereof, where:

A. The health of any officer or employee necessitates residency outside of the City limits.

B. The nature of the employment is such as to require residence outside of the City limits.

C. Special talent or technique which is necessary for the operation of government not found among Bridgeton residents exists justifying residence outside of the City limits.

§ 40-3 Effect of conflicting statute.

If any statute of the State of New Jersey shall be contrary to this article, said statute shall apply and this article shall be void and of no effect in those circumstances.

§ 40-4 Removal for failure to comply.

Failure of any officer or employee to comply with this article shall be cause for his removal or discharge from the City service.