Bethel Park officials hope to hire a municipal planner with the best qualifications for the job – even if that means soliciting from outside the borough.

Leaders are asking voters to support a referendum in the May 18 primary that would amend the municipal planner residency requirement in the home rule charter.

“It’s important to us that we hire the best-qualified employee for Bethel Park,” municipal manager Laurence Christian said.

There are at least six municipal employees who live outside the borough, and at least half of the staff worked remotely during the pandemic.

“They are no less passionate about Bethel Park because they don’t live here,” Christian said. “The people who worked from home never skipped a beat.”

The position of manager and police chief will continue to hold a residency requirement. But leaders don’t believe it’s necessary for the entire staff “in this day and age,” Christian said.

The current home rule charter requires that the municipal planner move into the borough within one year of being hired.

“Imagine you land this fantastic job but we need you to pick up your entire life and move,” Christian said. “It’s important that we acknowledge we don’t think it’s the right thing to do.

“We truly try to hire employees who have the desire to make Bethel Park the most sought-after place to live,” he added. “However, we’re aware that not everyone wants to relocate to the community where they work due to already being established in their current home, having children happy with their schools and a variety of other reasons.”

Bethel Park’s director of engineering Stacey Graf said the municipal planner position is significant. That person provides recommendations on land development approvals and subdivision applications, and also makes suggestions to the planning commission and municipal council on the 10-year comprehensive land use plan, among other issues.

For example, plans for the municipality’s new Chase Bank are handled in part by the municipal planner, who works with the developer to make sure zoning requirements and other codes are met.

When the home rule charter was drafted some 40-plus years ago, the job of municipal planner wasn’t nearly as specialized as it is now, officials said.

It is a niche field and they want the best candidate to fill the job, which has been vacant since 2019.

“Due to such a specific background needed for the municipal planner along with residency requirements, we’ve struggled to find and keep an individual in this position,” Graf said.

A contract employee is currently serving as the interim municipal planner.

“The planner is a unique position. It requires a degree in urban planning and we want them to be certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners so they stay up-to-date with codes,” Graf said.

Christian said there are multiple county and state referendums on the May 18 primary ballot and the Bethel Park municipal planner question will be printed at the very bottom.

“We don’t want it to get lost in the shuffle,” Christian said.

He and other municipal leaders recorded an educational video that will run on BPTV and the municipal website.

“We’re not trying to tell them how to vote, but want them to know this is important that we want to hire the best candidate,” Christian said.

Graf, who lives in North Hills, has worked for the borough for three years. She said it wasn’t the best option for her to move to the municipality while her children are still in school.

She is among others, including director of special projects Drew Dowdell, who are dedicated to Bethel Park despite living elsewhere.

“I’ve come to think of Bethel Park as an extra neighborhood of mine now,” said Dowdell, who lives in Pittsburgh’s East End and commutes about 30-45 minutes to work each day.

Data shows an average one-way work commute in Allegheny County to be 26.7 minutes.

“I’m really getting to know the community and the local businesses. And, I feel like I’m a part of the community even though I don’t live here.”

Since joining Bethel Park, Dowdell has volunteered for municipal functions like filming a Facebook live video of the Halloween parade from his classic car dressed as Sherlock Holmes, assisting at three covid-19 vaccination clinics and attending evening council meetings to lend technical support.

“I’m learning more about Bethel Park each day and now I use businesses here for many of my personal needs such as work on my vehicles, restaurants and shopping,” Dowdell said.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)