The City of Laurel’s Chief Administrative Officer should live within the city. That’s the decision the majority of the members of the Laurel City Council made during the group’s meeting Tuesday.

Councilman Johnny Magee last week proposed the order requiring the city’s CAO to live within the City of Laurel. The proposed order would become effective for the next term and thereafter.

“It has nothing to do with Mr. (Gary) Suddith (the city’s current CAO),” Magee said. “This will begin with the next administration.”

Following a lengthy discussion Tuesday by council members, the city administration and residents attending the meeting, the council with a 4-3 vote — with Councilmen Tony Thaxton, Tony Wheat and Manuel Jones voting against it — approved the order requiring city residency.

Wheat said more time to discuss the matter was needed.

Thaxton proposed that the matter be referred to the council’s personnel committee for more study. However, that amendment failed.

City attorney David Ratcliff said he had researched the matter briefly, however, he would like more time to gather more information.

Ratcliff told the group that an order requiring residency was not necessary.

“The state statute that provides for the hiring said an ordinance shall be passed, and the council passed an ordinance in 1989 concerning the appointing of the CAO,” the attorney said. “The statute states that the mayor shall appoint. ... It also states that members of the council shall not direct or dictate.

“I would like to research this more. This is an appointment made by the mayor,” the attorney said. “The statute doesn’t say they have to live in the city.”

Jones said this is not the first time this matter has been proposed.

“I think everyone should live in the city,” the Ward Five councilman said. “This is just coming up now because it’s a political season.”

Jones said the previous administration brought in a fire chief, a police chief and two recreation directors from outside the city.

Magee said the proposal has “nothing to do with any particular person.”

“We request people on boards to be residents of the city and they don’t have the same responsibilities as the CAO,” Magee said. “This will add to the recovery of Laurel.