BUCYRUS — The much-debated issue of the residency requirement for the city’s service-safety director position was voted on by the Bucyrus City Council finance committee during council’s joint committee meeting Thursday evening.

Committee member Kevin Myers brought up the issue that would allow the city service-safety director to live as far as 20 miles outside of the city limits. Several residents voiced their concerns during Tuesday evening’s council meeting and a first reading was had on the legislation.

“Both sides have compelling arguments and I do not see either as right or wrong,” Myers said. “I want to revisit it. A lot of people said that 20 miles was too excessive.”

Myers said several people have suggested increasing the current three-mile radius beyond the city limits to five miles. He said a house purchased recently by the city’s current city service safety director Jeff Wagner in Sulphur Springs is only 4.7 miles from the city limits.

Another suggestion was one reiterated by council member Andrew Schoch to require the person in the position to live within the Bucyrus zip code mailing address.

After much discussion, a motion was approved to change the ordinance to require the person in the position to live within five miles of the city limits. The second reading of the proposed ordinance will be made during the next council meeting Dec. 17 before the council votes on it.

Also during the meeting, Bucyrus Airport manager Kevin Detray came to the meeting to present the budget and proposed a project list to be paid for in part through a grant through the Federal Aviation Administration.

“These projects are 90 percent federally-funded, five percent state-funded and five percent locally-funded,” Detray said.

He gave a list of six ideas the grant money may be used for during the fiscal year 2020, including the installation of new rotating beacon, the removal of an obstructing light and pole on the runway 22 approach, crack sealing a portion of the runway, the mill and overlay of the taxiway, improvements to the terminal area fencing and the expansion of the apron adjacent to the fuel farm.

Detray said, in good weather, the airport has about 20 to 25 planes in and out per day and 32 planes are housed there.

The finance committee reviewed the 2020 budget for the city, but more work is to be done. There will be a 2020 budget meeting Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. at Bucyrus City Hall.