The Austin City Council has a hefty agenda this Thursday, with over 50 items to consider, including a vital ordinance that could affect the pay and benefits of Austin police officers. Amid ongoing discussions about a long-term police contract, the City Council is to vote on a stopgap measure designed to maintain stability for the police force's compensation. According to KXAN, the resolution brought by Mayor Kirk Watson aims to "send a message to our police officers that 'we’ve got your back,'" by guaranteeing current salaries, and benefits, and even offering up bonuses as incentives for reaching a contract agreement.
This ordinance could provide each Austin police officer a $500 bonus just to come to the table and at least another $2,500 if a contract is successfully completed by June 30. Furthermore, it assures at least a 2.5% pay raise in the first year once a contract is in place, with room to negotiate higher rates. This move by the City Council has been characterized by some officials as a band-aid designed to temporarily hold things together while a more permanent solution is being sought. In a previous report by FOX 7 Austin, Mayor Watson iterated his commitment to the city's law enforcement, stating, "I strongly believe that we need to have the backs of our police because they have our backs, and public safety is the highest priority we can have."
Michael Bullock, the President of the Austin Police Association, emphasized the need for diligence before entering into negotiations, acknowledging the concerns surrounding not only a staffing crisis but also the implications of a recent lawsuit filed for not fully implementing the Police Oversight Act. He told FOX 7 Austin, "We are working diligently to try to find ways of addressing our concerns, but, again, at the same time, not compromising the rights of the officers who have died in the line of duty."
This initiative strikes at the heart of the city's endeavor to quickly resolve the impasse over the police contract, seeking to remove any potential hurdles by offering a clear financial uptick. If the Police Association engages in talks and locks down a long-term contract with the city by the proposed midsummer deadline, each member of the Austin Police Department stands to gain substantially from the deal. Acknowledging the legal entanglements that have made negotiations delicate, Bullock also stated, "It's not an ultimatum. It's not a, you know, a line in the sand about this lawsuit. I have concerns about the lawsuit, and that's why we just have to make sure that we make sure our due diligence is done before we actually do sit down." This ordinance, cited as Item 23 on the Council's agenda, could prove to be a pivotal turning point in the ongoing discussion around police pay and benefits in Austin.
