Does actually living in a city have anything to do with being able to serve on its city council? You’d think so!

More on that in a moment on the Face The State Radio Minute.

The Aspen Times is reporting the nearby town of Basalt will vote on a measure requiring anyone running for city council to have actually lived there for a year. Sounds like common sense to me.

Voters will consider the change to Basalt’s home-rule charter this November. Currently, due to a technicality in the law, the city attorney says there is no residency requirement at all. A former city council member was thus able to move away, then shortly thereafter come back to town and be appointed to fill the vacancy he created. That doesn’t pass the smell test.

The question of residency isn’t unique to Basalt. Voters in the City of Boulder will decide this November whether to allow non-residents, even non-U.S. citizens, serve on city boards and commissions. Those are powerful positions.

Voters in both communities will decide where to draw the line.

For FaceTheState.com, I’m Brad Jones.