Should Newton’s next police chief have to live near Newton? Or should the city expand its search to include candidates from as far away as Nashua, N.H.? The City Council has chosen the latter.

Mayor Ruthanne Fuller requested the City Council reaffirm a home rule petition (that’s government speak for asking the state legislature for permission) from 2022 to “extend the residential boundary for uniformed personnel working in the police and fire departments from 15 to 35 miles.”

“The reason I think they’re trying to get rolling on this again now is because it might have some effect on the process for searching for a new police chief,” City Councilor Bill Humphrey said Monday night.

Humphrey voted against the idea in 2022.

“Thirty-five miles does extend into Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire, so that’s starting to be a pretty wide net,” Humphrey said.

Council President Marc Laredo said the 2022 residential requirement change to 35 miles was approved to expand the pool of candidates for police chief. At the time, the city was starting a search that would eventually see John Carmichael Jr. appointed as chief.

Laredo emphasized that Monday’s vote comes after the state asked for an updated home rule petition vote reaffirming the 2022 vote and is not meant to hint at any direction the city is going regarding the police chief position.

“I want to be crystal clear, this does not mean we’re going to hire an outside candidate,” Laredo said. “This does not mean we’re going to hire someone who lives further away than the 15 miles.”

Michelle Pizzi O’Brien, director of human resources for the city, noted that the city has already negotiated the allowed mileage to 35 miles for police union members, and requiring closer proximity for leadership could preclude some Newton police officers from advancement.

“And one of the challenges with having a different negotiated range for travel is you can have an exceptional captain within your ranks or lieutenant within their ranks who grew up in Newton but maybe moved to where their spouse is, or family and friends may be, and then finding themselves having to relocate because they are 16 miles away from Newton,” she said.

The City Council approved the home rule petition, 22-1, with one councilor absent.