By virtue of a 13-1 vote, the common council Monday night finalized the process of attaching a “waiver” amendment to Everett’s relatively new residency law for city employees that now allows the mayor to hire non-residents under certain circumstances.

Only Council President D.J. Napolitano voted against ordaining the measure into law.

The board of aldermen had granted its unanimous approval at its most recent meeting.

Affected by the amendment are the two residency requirement laws for local city employees that were recently enacted by the city council.

The first one was for public safety (police, fire) personnel and it took effect in January 1, 2012.

The second one, effective July 1, 2012, was for the rest of the city’s workforce (excluding department heads and the school department).

The local residency laws only apply to those who are hired after their effective dates.

The new waiver option now allows the mayor – with the consent of the city council – to hire a qualified non-resident to a city position if it is deemed to be   “in the best interests of the public”.

However, the mayor must first detail to the city council, in writing, the reasons for such a waiver, and the council must agree to the hiring by a majority vote.

During initial discussions on the issue, Ald. Robert Campen, the waiver proposal’s main advocate, pointed out that there may be times when a vacancy occurs in a position that requires a certain skill, experience or license/certificate that no Everett applicant has.

The new waiver option now provides latitude for the city to fill such a vacancy.