AUSTIN, Texas — The City of Austin has announced a pay package for officers with the Austin Police Department (APD).
On March 2, the City announced a "plan to pay, provide benefits and implement a retention strategy" for APD officers. This announcement comes from the ordinance that the Austin City Council unanimously passed on Feb. 23 but is not a resolution to the police officers' union contract negotiations with the City.
“This is a good day for our City and for the women and men of the Austin Police Department,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said. “We are delivering on our promises, and just one week after a Council directive, the Interim City Manager has presented us with a substantial pathway to financially supporting the officers who serve this community."
The plan includes the following:
- A 4% increase in pay, starting April 1, for all officers under the rank of assistant chief
- Up to a $15,000 incentive for new cadets
- Retention incentives for current APD officers
- Pay increases for officers nearing retirement
- Continuation of longevity pay
- Field training officer pay
- Mental health certification pay
- Bilingual pay
- Shift differential pay
- Assistant chief pay
“This plan demonstrates the commitment this City has to keeping its word and supporting our officers,” APD Chief Joseph Chacon said. “APD officers keep this community safe, and they deserve to be compensated well for doing so; this plan is an important part of ensuring officers feel valued by the people they serve.”
Councilmember Ryan Alter (District 5) originally introduced the ordinance, which was later offered by Watson. Councilmembers Alison Alter (District 10), José Velásquez (District 3), José “Chito” Vela (District 4) and Leslie Pool (District 7) joined as co-sponsored the package.
Additionally, Councilmembers Mackenzie Kelly (District 6) and Zohaib “Zo” Qadri (District 9) added to ordinance.
Read the full report from the City of Austin.
The Austin Police Association released the following statement regarding the pay package:
"The Austin Police Association has just learned of the changes that have been announced. It is incredibly frustrating to learn of changes from a YouTube video and the Media instead of being told about them from the Manager’s Office.
"Clearly the Manager has had this plan for a while. I do not understand why an organization who has publicly said that they want the APA to come back to the table and has included provisions within their plan to try and get the APA back to the table did not think to reach out to the organization that would actually be the ones to go to the table."