HOUSTON – It’s a step forward in the yearslong battle with the city of Houston and the fire department.
During Wednesday’s city council meeting, council members voted 14 to 3 to pay for the bond in connection to the $1.5 billion deal.
Recommended Videos
“The city has the option to pay for the judgment liability that the city was never going to get away from. You can either pay for it out of the city’s general fund or you can finance it through a refunding bond. For us, it does not matter what the city would like to do, but I don’t think they have $650 million hanging out in the city’s general fund, and so, what they have done is they have financed it in a secure bond and the passage allows that to happen,” said Patrick “Marty” Lancton, President-Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association.
The $1.5 billion deal, includes $650 million in back pay for Houston firefighters who went several years without a contract. The settlement also includes a 34% raise over the next five years.
Mayor John Whitmire said the passing of the bonds is a step in the right direction of solving a back-and-forth battle that has lasted more than seven years.
The council members are expected to return next week to vote on the settlement.
POP-OFF POLITICS: City Council’s vote on Houston Fire Department contract
The initial vote was pushed back after City Controller Chris Hollins had additional questions regarding the settlement. Those questions were answered in an emailed document shared by the mayor’s office.
The controller has yet to certify the $6.5 million in legal fees involved in the settlement and has until next Tuesday for the court’s timeline to be met, according to city hall officials.
If he does not, the settlement on the table and the council approval goes away.
The mayor made it clear this will go to trial if it’s not approved in time.
This settlement was one of Mayor Whitmire’s campaign promises, where he pledged to secure better working conditions and fair compensation for HFD members, and this agreement appears to fulfill that promise.
PREVIOUS: Houston firefighters overwhelmingly approve contract settlement with city
Council members voted 14 to three, with one of the no’s coming from councilmember Edward Pollard who presented an amendment that would send the settlement to the voters for them to approve.
Whitmire shut down that amendment, saying there was not enough time to have the public vote and that not moving forward with Wednesday’s vote could mean the entire deal could fall through.
“It’s easy to be against something, but this has been discussed and the public has been well aware. Any delay is going to gut this settlement and any delay, in my opinion, will be irresponsible,” said Mayor Whitmire.
Although moving forward, the settlement continues to have some skeptical council members who are worried about the city’s finances moving forward.
Houston City Attorney Arturo Michel said the $650 million in judgment 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.
During the council meeting, Pollard wanted to know how this could impact taxpayers and how the city came up with the exact dollar amount. The councilmember also asked for justification on the sizeable increase to firefighter pay while asking other city department to cut back by 5%.
“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?”