Relaxing Residency Rule for Fire and Police Chiefs in Aurora, IL, Discussed The Aurora City Council has delayed deciding whether to loosen residency requirements for the city’s police and fire chiefs. The delay comes as the Aurora Fire Department continues to operate with an interim fire chief after former chief David McCabe retired in November 2025, and an attempt to appoint a new chief in April was put off. Police and fire chiefs are currently required to live in Aurora or move to the city within a year of taking on the job. The proposed ordinance would allow Aurora’s police and fire chiefs to live in any municipality within 15 miles of Aurora. Aurora Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward, who is behind the proposed ordinance, said the measure could help fill the fire chief vacancy by removing some barriers. The ordinance was set for a final City Council vote last week. “This way, we can get the best and the brightest candidates, even if they don’t live in the city because they could have good reasons why they don’t live here for all that time,” Franco said. But Ald. Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward, asked Aug. 25 for the measure to be moved back to the City Council Rules, Administration and Procedure committee for further review. The proposed residency requirement ordinance now sits with that committee, which is set to meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Aurora City Hall. Aurora Mayor John Laesch said the proposed ordinance “makes zero sense” to him and that City Council members still care about having some residency requirements for the city’s public safety officials due to the nature of the job. “Public safety was the area where we needed to have some level of residency,” he said. Laesch said he is in no rush to