State District Judge Tanya Garrison today ordered that the City, the police union and the firefighters’ union work with a mediator to try to agree on an implementation plan for Proposition B, which carries a 29 percent salary hike for firefighters but came with no funding source.
The city has been moving ahead with immediate implementation, including increased paychecks for firefighters from Jan. 1, 2019 forward, as well as plans to lay off fire cadets, municipal workers and firefighters to make up for the costs of the higher pay. The City has also offered to phase in the costs of Prop B over five years without layoffs.
Mayor Turner’s response to the court’s order today:
“This is a non-binding court-ordered mediation among Police, Fire and the City. Though it is non-binding, the City will comply. What is important is that the mediation occur as soon as possible, preferably Monday or Tuesday (April 22-23). By law, the City budget must balance by the end of June, and where a reduction in personnel is necessary to balance the budget, employees must be given a 60-day notice prior to July 1.”
The judge is presiding over the case in which the police union sued to stop the city from implementing Prop B.