Austin city officials and the police union have reached a tentative labor agreement that includes a whopping 28% pay hike for officers and newly disclosed, controversial provisions related to police oversight.
The pay hike in the proposed five-year contract will cost a cool $217.8 million, that’s $100 million more than the cost of a police ballot measure Austin voters roundly rejected three years ago. This is the most expensive contract with the highest police raises in Austin history. It’s a move the police association and some city leaders claim will staunch the bleeding of police ranks and attract fresh talent to the force.
“We’re turning a corner on public safety and policing in Austin,” Mayor Kirk Watson declared.
This contract language will reinstate secrecy around police conduct
The contract language was primarily negotiated in secret and released to the public only yesterday. Already, critics are saying it undermines voter-approved transparency measures and could force cuts to other vital city services.
“This contract language will reinstate secrecy around police conduct less than a month after a judge ordered Austin to stop violating the law and implement the will of the voters,” said Chris Harris with the Texas Civil Rights Project.
“Police conduct in this town has been deeply problematic—racism, racial profiling, false convictions. Black Austinites have real issues with the police. And nothing in this contract will address that. It will make addressing those issues harder,” continued Harris.
Others note that the price tag will be paid with tax hikes, cuts to other critical city services, or both. “It is unclear where this additional money comes from,” said Kathy Mitchell of Equity Action. Mitchell further stated, “Yesterday at City Hall, Council Members were debating where they could scrape together $7 million to keep a homeless shelter open a little longer. How can they possibly consider a contract that will require them to find $15M to $20M next year just for this item? We will be looking at cuts to parks and libraries, our social safety net for the poorest families, and our homeless response system. This does not reflect Austin or our community values.”
The contract is slated for a city council vote on October 10. Members of the public can register to testify for or against. For more on how to participate,
