The Annapolis city council is set to tackle the issue of requiring some workers to speak English.

Alderman Samuel E. Shropshire plans to introduce legislation that would require at least one member of any utility crew working underground to speak English. He called the bill "an important public safety measure."

Shropshire said he was prompted to act after fielding complaints in the past two weeks from Ward 7 residents who were without electricity and phone and cable service for days at a time after Verizon workers inadvertently severed wires during maintenance work.

Shropshire said residents were frustrated that none of the workers spoke English.

A spokeswoman for Verizon confirmed that a subcontractor cut the lines and said the company had taken "corrective action" and suspended the subcontractor.

The spokeswoman, Sandra Arnette, said it is Verizon's policy to have at least one English-speaking worker "on site at all times."

"It's all about public safety," Shropshire said. "What if they'd cut through a power line and a gas line? I mean, this could have been a disaster."

At least one Latino advocacy group has questioned the legality of the measure, saying that the federal government requires municipalities to offer "meaningful access" to non-English speakers.

"The city of Annapolis is saying, 'Look, we know we have to comply with federal law, but what we're going to do is pass the buck of our responsibility on to someone else,'" said Kim Propeack, advocacy director of Casa de Maryland. "We understand that the city has legitimate concerns about [workers'] capacity to speak with people in an emergency situation. But we believe that [the city] should comply with the federal law by ensuring their emergency personnel [are] able to communicate with these people."

The issue of requiring people to speak English has come to the forefront as the illegal immigration issue has heated up in recent years.

In Philadelphia, the city's Commission on Human Relations filed a discrimination complaint against the owner of a popular cheesesteak restaurant, who posted two small signs at his shop in October 2005 telling customers, "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING PLEASE 'SPEAK ENGLISH,'" according to news reports.

The proposed ordinance in Annapolis would require that "work crews installing or working on underground utilities have at least one member on-site that is fluent in English so that that worker may communicate safety information to company supervisors, other utility companies, firefighters, police, EMS personnel and residents adjoining the work site such as when gas, electrical, and telephone cables are unintentionally severed."

Several members of the city council have co-sponsored the measure, which is to be introduced at tomorrow night's meeting. It is accompanied by a bill that would establish a $100 fine for each day a company was in violation.

In a report accompanying the legislation, John Spencer, a legislative analyst for the city, cited U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rules that say any English language requirement in the workplace must "relate to specific circumstances in its workplace. An English-only rule is justified by 'business necessity' if it is needed for an employer to operate safely or efficiently."

Spencer said that because "the proposed ordinance is based on improving safety and is narrowly tailored to apply only to the undergrounding of utilities and to only require one English-speaking worker, it is expected that this ordinance would withstand legal challenge."

Mayor Ellen O. Moyer was noncommittal last week, saying that she is aware of the potential danger of not being able to communicate in emergencies but is willing to listen to concerns from the community and her legal staff about the legality of the measure.

Robin Maisel, president of the Ambridge Homeowners Association, said about 55 households were affected by the severed lines beginning about two weeks ago.

"The biggest problem was, we couldn't speak to anyone. I don't know what language they spoke, but they didn't speak English. The people here take a lot of pride in their yards, and all of a sudden there are these people that show up that start digging up your yard, and you can't even talk to them."

nicole.fuller@baltsun.com