The single amendment that Chattanooga voters are asked to approve or deny when they vote early or go to the polls in March doesn’t mention members of the police or fire departments, but those two groups are at the heart of it.
If the amendment is approved, the city will be able to recruit candidates for either department if they don’t live in Tennessee. Right now, a Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, resident would be ineligible for hire. The same is true for someone on Sand Mountain in Alabama. They’d have to pack up and move to the Volunteer State to have the opportunity.
We heartily endorse the approval of the change in the city charter. Voters who agree will need to vote “for” the amendment.
It will be no surprise to local residents that Chattanooga has had difficulty in hiring members of its police and fire departments. It’s the same across the country.