Austin City Council looks for solution as police contract negotiations at standstill
AUSTIN, Texas - With negotiations at a standstill, Austin Police officers are a little more than a month away from possibly working without a contract. Tuesday, Austin City Council met in an effort to hammer out a stopgap solution.
"This is not a substitute for a contract," said District 9 council member Zohaib "Zo" Qadri.
Tuesday afternoon, Council took up a proposed ordinance aimed at giving cops "stability", if and when their contract expires at the end of next month.
"Many of our police officers are now faced with a lot of uncertainty," said District 5 council member Ryan Alter, who sponsored the ordinance.
The ordinance would preserve pay and benefits for officers, as stipulated under the current contract, along with a separate objective: solidifying the authority of the Office of Police Oversight to investigate misconduct.
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"I think that talking about safety and also asking for oversight are not two separate things," said District 2 council member Vanessa Fuentes.
On Tuesday, Mayor Kirk Watson also proposed increasing base wages by 4%, and adding a pay incentive for maintaining certain staffing levels.
"For us to be in a position where we can attract and retain police officers," said Watson.
But council members agree this falls far short of an actual contract. Last week, the Austin Police Association walked away from negotiations after Council refused to take up a four-year contract. A majority of members instead support a one-year deal, citing two upcoming police-related ballot propositions.
"To pay respect to the people of the city when there’s a vote coming up in May as it applies to oversight," said Watson.
In a statement Tuesday, APA President Thomas Villarreal said: "The APA Board has always been open to having conversations around long term contracts. The Board also made it very clear that they are not interested in negotiating a short term contract with the City."
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Still, Watson suggested Tuesday there could be some common ground.
"There may be things we can do financially that don’t relate to that election and oversight, that could go for more years, if people would come back to the table," said Watson.
Responding to a question from FOX 7 about that possibility, Villareal said: "I am not aware of the comments the Mayor made today, but I look forward to seeing what long term ideas the City might have to stabilize our Police Department."
"With the prospect of falling out of contract, I believe we face the real possibility of going backwards and that’s just not something we can do," said Alter.
Council did not take a vote on the ordinance Tuesday, but proponents hope to get it passed soon. The police contract is set to expire March 31.