Intergovernmental Relations Deputy Officer Rick Ramirez briefed the Public Safety Commission members last week on proposals the city supported and those it opposed during the state Legislature’s regular session. Making adjustments to the firefighters’ pension fund was one of the most significant ones for Austin and its public safety workers. More money will be allocated to the pension fund under that legislation. Additionally, firefighters who start working for the agency on January 1, 2026, will not be eligible for the same benefits as firemen who are already employed by the department.
Austin firemen are permitted to continue collective bargaining under a second bill pertaining to firefighters. According to Ramirez, a Texas Supreme Court decision had cast doubt on that procedure.
A bill introduced by Texas Sen. Sarah Eckhardt and former Council Member and current Representative Sheryl Cole was a huge boon to the city’s emergency medical staff.According to Ramirez, HB 1105 exempts EMS workers from paying tuition and lab fees at higher education schools. With immediate effect, that law would cover all students working for a city while enrolled in a paramedic program.
Representatives from Austin Fire, EMS, and Police said they are unsure of how much their budgets will be cut if Council approves the next budget, even while they each have a general sense of how funding cuts might affect their departments and how they plan to handle it.
The department would have to reduce the number of firemen allocated to firefighting equipment, AFD Chief of Staff Robert Vires reaffirmed.The management and the firefighters’ union have been at odds over that idea for a long time. If the council wants three firefighters per piece of equipment instead of four, they would need to change an ordinance that was passed in 2018.
According to Robin Henderson, chief of staff of the Austin Police Department, the department will proceed with the plan to replace academy officers with patrol officers. She stated that the change will occur on August 24. She stated that they are unsure of the precise budget, but she did not elaborate on any potential modifications the department might make. The head of staff for EMS, Wes Hopkins, stated that his service is still filling open positions. He mentioned that a few administrative employees had been temporarily transferred to the 911 contact center.
Community donations enable the work of the Austin Monitors. Even though we occasionally publish on funders, we take pains to ensure transparency by keeping editorial and business activities apart. Our code of ethics is described here, and a full list of donors may be seen here.
You’re a community leader
And we are thrilled that you trust us with important, in-depth news. You are aware that local and committed watchdog reporting is essential to a healthy community. We will always be here to support you. Will you now support our nonprofit news organization and take the bold next step?
