June 30, 2009
El Paso police and firefighters will be asked to temporarily forego their pay raises in the next fiscal year to help the city balance a budget that will continue to take beating in the national recession.
But first, the members of the two unions would have to ratify the proposals in elections before the raises set out in their contracts could be postponed.
City Manager Joyce Wilson said if both departments go along with the proposals, it could save the city as much as $1.3 million in fiscal 2010.
The El Paso Sheriff’s Officers Association may also be asked to make concessions to help county government through a $17 million budget crisis that is significantly worse than the city’s.
County Commissioner Veronica Escobar said the deputies are scheduled to receive raises amounting to 7 percent in the next year.
City Hall has been cutting expenses all year to cover an anticipated $14 million revenue shortfall to ensure that that the city has a soft landing at the end of the fiscal year in August.
For the next fiscal year, starting Sept. 1, Wilson and her staff intend to present a budget that would allow the city to stick with the effective tax rate, meaning no tax increase for the second year in a row.
Wilson’s office filed a proposed fiscal 2010 budget with the municipal clerk’s office just before 5 p.m. Tuesday that recommended holding back on any raises for nonuniformed city employees until nine months into the year.
The proposal that will go to 1,100 members of the El Paso Municipal Police Officers for ratification in coming weeks will ask officers to put off the 2 percent raise they are due to get Sept. 1 until Jan. 1.
The union’s election process is several weeks long and begins with an effort to educate union members about the proposal before the voting starts.
“Before the election, I have to present every detail,” police union President Robert Gomez said.
Asked how the city’s proposal – the first of its kind in memory – is being received by the police union members, he said, “They understand the financial crisis the city and the nation are going through. They’re asking questions and raising concerns.”
Police Spokesman Chris Mears said other public safety departments around the country, including in Austin and San Antonio, are also being asked to hold off on raises.
“I think we need to do our part, and I’m willing to delay the pay raise to help the city as a whole,” Mears said, speaking for himself.
Joe Tellez, president of El Paso Association of Firefighters, said their education process begins Wednesday on the proposal negotiated with the city to postpone the 3 percent raise that more than 700 firefighters were to receive Jan. 1 until April 11.
“The city manager approached us about deferring our pay raise,” Tellez said. “We don’t want the city to have to lay off firefighters or close stations. That would negatively impact the community.”
Tellez said he is confident that firefighters will approve the proposal once they understand it.
“I know every dollar saved is going to mean something in his budget year,” he said. “We’re just willing to do our part.”
* * *
To reach David Crowder, write to dcrowder@epmediagroup.com or call (915) 351-0605, ext. 30, or 630-6622.