[hardcandy]

This tends to invite geographical arbitrage (not necessarily a bad outcome). As indicated in the article, some firefighters enjoy the high salaries coupled with a (likely) very low COL 2+ hours away. You end up with smart, clever workers commuting in, sleeping in chairs and vans, etc, but not necessarily moving there. Even if you made a rule that said the workers had to live within 20 miles, my sense is they would game the system. I'd do the same in their situation. Lots of places experience this same dynamic because similar to SV they are undesirable for certain groups. Saudi Arabia pays a fortune to import the majority of its surgeons, from the US, UK, and elsewhere, and those professionals tend to treat it as a temporary post in exchange for twice or three times what they would make elsewhere.