For the third time in less than a year, the City Council has rejected a contract settlement with district fire chiefs in a continuing dispute if the current chiefs should be required to live in Springfield.
A motion to give final passage to the contract failed by way of a 6-6 tie vote, needing seven votes to pass.
Under the proposed contract, any person promoted to district chief after July 8, would be required to comply with the residency requirement and live in Springfield. Some councilors, however, were opposed to the clause and the contract because it would not require current district chiefs to live in Springfield.