GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) - Green Bay city employees no longer have to live in the city. 

The city council voted to toss out the long-standing residency requirement.  However, department heads would still be required to live in the city. 

The move comes despite Mayor Jim Schmitt voicing his support for the residency requirement.  He says city workers get paid above average wages and Schmitt believes where you live is where you spend your money, so the residency rule helps the city economically.

The city council voted unanimously to get rid of the requirement.

Schmitt says he will not veto the change. 

Exceptions have been granted. Since 2008, when the housing market collapsed, many exceptions involved the inability to sell underwater homes. 

The argument against the residency rule was that the city was not attracting qualified applicants for positions. 

Nearly 890 people work for the city and Human Resources Director Lynn Boland says around 67% of them live in the city.