AUSTIN, Texas — After a year and a half without a long-term contract, the city of Austin reached a tentative labor agreement with the Austin Police Association (APA) on Monday.
Austin City Council members will likely vote on the proposed five-year agreement at their Oct. 10 meeting, after the contract’s language is finalized and police union members have reviewed the proposal.
It comes after long-term contract negotiations resumed in March following disagreements over expanding access to the "G" file, which contains personnel information on officers' allegations and misconduct.
During negotiations, the city said it wanted to enforce the Police Oversight Act, which voters overwhelmingly passed in May of 2023. The APA had reservations about the G file being released publicly. In late August, a Travis County Judge ruled to do away with the G-file.
The tentative agreement is expected to include pay increases for police officers and address the elimination of the G-file. According to the city, the agreement represents a 28% increase for officers over five years with a total value of $217.8 million. Base pay will increase by 8% in year one, 6% in year two, 5% in years three and four, and 4% in the last year of the agreement.
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.
The contract will also include a process for the Office of Police Oversight to consider anonymous complaints and an extension of the disciplinary timeline, the city said.
“This tentative agreement includes meaningful investments in officer pay and benefits that will be invaluable as we seek to recruit and retain the best law enforcement officers in the country,” said Lisa Davis Davis, who joined the Austin Police Department as chief this month. “I am proud to be serving in a city that values and prioritizes public safety, and not only believes in but is also committed to transparency and community engagement.”
Negotiations hit a roadblock in 2023 when the city of Austin turned down a four-year contract in favor of a one-year extension agreement. In February 2023, a stopgap measure was passed by city leaders to keep officer pay and benefits and police oversight in place.
On Feb. 1, Mayor Kirk Watson and the city council signed off on another stopgap measure to extend pay and benefits for police officers until March 31, 2025. The measure was designed to bring APA back to the negotiating table and also offered a controversial bonus, which would reward $500 for every officer if talks start up again and $2,500 if a contract agreement is successfully reached.
"When I joined the city of Austin in May, I made it clear that one of my top priorities was to finalize a new contract between the city and the Austin Police Association," said City Manager T.C. Broadnax. "I am proud to have achieved such a significant accomplishment at this point. I want to offer my profound gratitude to former Interim Assistant City Manager Bruce Mills and the entire negotiating team for their hard work and dedication to this effort. This agreement brings together key aspects related to last year’s voter-approved initiative on police oversight that were subject to reaching a negotiated contract by state law, as well as provisions related to improving the Austin Police Department’s hiring and promotional processes."