City of Austin, police union formally sign 5-year contract for APD

AUSTIN, Texas - The City of Austin and the Austin Police Association formally signed a five-year contract for the Austin Police Department.

This comes after a long negotiation process. The police department has gone a year and a half without a contract, and the union says this agreement will help with recruitment and retention.

"Today is significant because we're turning the page on really too many years of tension, friction and negativity between City Hall and our police. We're starting a new chapter, a new chapter that's all about positive change, change that recognizes the desire of our community to have both accountability and high police morale," Mayor Kirk Watson said.

"To be at this juncture today is such a significant accomplishment as the agreement not only includes groundbreaking measures to enhance police oversight, but also provisions for improving the Austin Police Department's hiring and promotion process," city manager T.C. Broadnax said.

The contract was approved 10-1 by the City Council last Thursday.

The $218 million agreement includes a 28 percent increase in raises over five years, plus stipends for officers in various roles.

The city says the contract complies with the Austin Police Oversight Act.

"It has been extremely difficult at times but encouraging overall. Throughout these challenges, I think we have become better, and I think we are going to put our city into a better place," Michael Bullock, president of the Austin Police Assocation, said. "We do have provisions that provide the flexibility in recruiting so that we can bring the very best and brightest to our city to provide the most professional policing product we possibly can to a city that deserves it, as well as find ways of retaining the people that are here now."

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"We're going to put Austin on the map for policing done right," Police Chief Lisa Davis said.

The process was not without opposition.

At last Thursday's City Council meeting, hundreds of people signed up to speak about the contract. Some supported it. Others argue the money would be better spent on other city services.

Council Member Zo Qadri was the only "no" vote, saying he doesn't think the contract reflects the values of the majority of Austinites.