HOUSTON – As many are celebrating a new, historic contract for Houston firefighters, at least two Houston City Council members are raising questions about the specifics of the settlement agreement.
According to Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s office, the deal will provide $650 million in back pay for current, retired, and family members of fallen firefighters who have worked without a contract since 2017. It also offers up to 34 percent raises for firefighters over the next five years.
The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association said 94 percent of firefighters overwhelmingly voted to approve the historic contract over the weekend.
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But Monday, council members Edward Pollard and Tiffany D. Thomas sent a letter to the mayor highlighting concerns about how the deal could impact the fiscal integrity of the city and claiming to have “minimal engagement from (the mayor’s) office on any specifics, and non-response from (the mayor) to previous emails on the subject.”
“It’s all in the spirit of transparency. This could be a great deal, but explain why,” Pollard said.
The deal comes after an eight-year battle.
Judgement bonds will cover the back pay, according to the mayor’s office. The City hasn’t said what will fund the pay increases, but in a statement, the mayor’s office wrote that the approach “rectifies past grievances and safeguards the City’s financial stability.”
“This brings finality to everything and allows us to start moving forward,” HPFFA President Marty Lancton said. “Everybody came to the table. Everybody worked together.”
In the letter, Pollard and Thomas wrote ten questions “on whether the proposed deal is in the city’s best financial interest, or will it ultimately cause dire fiscal challenges that will impact services city wide for years to come.”
“These are just some very basic questions that council members and the general public should want to know,” Thomas said. “The information has not been provided from the administration to help us color in the lines. I don’t want my name on on the record for making a poor financial decision for the city.”
Outside a court hearing on the matter Monday, Houston City Attorney Arturo Michel told reporters the $650 million in judgement bonds will come at an annual cost over the next 25 to 30 years, but that the specifics are still being worked out by the city’s finance department.
Pollard and Thomas want to know how that could impact taxpayers. The councilmembers also asked for justification on the sizeable increase to firefighter pay while asking other city department to cut back by 5 percent.
The letter also raised concerns about how the firefighters’ contract could have future ramifications when the city has to negotiate other union contracts, including with the Houston Police Officers Union, when it expires next year.
“When you think about the fiscal challenges that are looming for our city, we have to ask the tough questions to ensure that we have all the answers,” Pollard said. “We all support our firefighters, there’s no doubt. But can we afford this?”
Responding to the letter, Lancton shared the following statement on behalf of the HPFFA with KPRC 2:
“It’s truly perplexing why Council Member Pollard would choose to politicize such a crucial issue. With two clear options before the city – settle or face potentially exorbitant court-imposed terms – Mayor Whitmire’s decision to settle was not only prudent but necessary for the well-being of our firefighters and the fiscal health of Houston. Despite having four years to address this, Council Member Pollard seemingly prioritized endorsing the former mayor’s divisive stance against our firefighters and their families. Now, under Mayor Whitmire’s leadership, we’re moving forward. It’s high time for Pollard and others to set aside political gamesmanship and focus on what truly matters: the safety of our community and ensuring fairness for all Houstonians, including our dedicated firefighters,” Lancton wrote.
A spokesperson for Mayor Whitmire told KPRC 2 he is reviewing the letter, but declined to release additional information, instead referring to a statement from last week.
Attorneys involved said the negotiations were confidential up until the agreement was reached.
It may be June before the paperwork is done to complete the deal, attorneys said outside a court hearing on Monday.