AUSTIN, Texas — After a city council meeting that featured over 160 speakers and lasted over 11 hours, Mayor Kirk Watson and members of the Austin City Council officially signed a new labor agreement with the Austin Police Association (APA) on Thursday.
The city council approved the contract with a 10-1 vote, with council member Zo Qadri being the only vote against approval.
The new five-year contract comes after a tentative agreement was reached between the city and the police union in September, which followed months of long-term contract negotiations that resumed in March following disagreements over expanding access to the G-file, which are documents that contain personnel information and allegations of misconduct against officers.
The council also passed an ordinance that directed more than $16 million from the city’s general fund to the Austin Police Department’s operating budget to satisfy the terms of the contract, with the money covering wages and benefits. The measure passed with a 10-1 vote, with Qadri voting against.
In 2023, voters approved the Police Oversight Act, which includes making the G-files public, but union leaders said the files included unconfirmed complaints against officers.
In late August, a Travis County Judge ruled to do away with the G-file, but there are still cases pending. President of the APA Michael Bullock said after the tentative agreement was reached in September that future G-file rulings will not interfere with the contract progressing.
With the council’s approval, the next step is for the contract to be ratified by the APA. The union has not yet announced when they will do so.
What’s included in the contract
The contract includes a 28% pay increase for police officers over its entire five year duration, which is the largest pay raise Austin police officers have had in decades. Base pay will increase by 8% in year one, 6% in year two, 5% in years three and four and 4% in the final year of the agreement. The total value of the contract is $217.8 million.
The city said there will also be an increase for field training officer pay, a stipend for officers working the night shift and stipends for patrol officers. It also includes a $2,000 bonus for officers at the start of the contract.
The contract also mandates that APD create a process for the Office of Police Oversight to consider anonymous complaints and an extension of the disciplinary timeline.