Austin police pay, benefits to be voted on by city council

AUSTIN, Texas - On Thursday, Jan. 17, at the first city council meeting of 2024, the mayor and council will vote on an agenda item directing the city manager to create an ordinance securing certain pay and benefits for Austin police officers.

"I strongly believe that we need to have their backs, and I've said this publicly on multiple occasions, we need to have the backs of our police because they have our backs and public safety is the highest priority that we can have," said Mayor Kirk Watson.

FOX 7 Austin spoke to Mayor Watson earlier this month, and he gave insight on agenda item 46. It is an item he put forward as a temporary solution.

"An ordinance that holds our police harmless and says even though we're out of contract, we support you, and we want to be sure that you have your pay and your benefits, and we do the kinds of things we need to recruit," he said.

The city’s contract with the police expired March 31, 2023. Since then, the city and Austin Police Association have yet to come to an agreement on a new, four-year contract.

Last year, council passed an ordinance protecting officers' wages and benefits for the time being. This resolution in 2024, if passed, would extend the previous ordinance for another year, and also include additional financial incentives for those joining APD as cadets to help with the ongoing staffing crisis.

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The mayor says the main goal is still to reach a four-year contract with the Austin Police Association.

"Ultimately, doing this on a year-to-year basis is not the best way to do it. We need to have a longer-term contract," said Mayor Watson.

If passed at Thursday’s meeting, the city manager will have until Feb. 1 to present to the council an ordinance to vote on.