Houston found a way to pay the FD

[Scott B.]

I don't have a dog in this fight, living outside the city, but it's been an interesting story.

This past election, city voters approved "Prop B" a pay parity measure for the fire department. The FD and PD have been negotiating separate deals since the early aughts. PD went for pay raises, FD went for pensions and benefits which led to a 'pay gap.'

The city can't afford Prop B and everybody knows it.

Solution? City govt wide 3% budget cut, extended hiring freezes (started before the election), more municipal layoffs, and up to 400 firefighters are being laid off.

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texa ... 673189.php

[ELB]

It will be your dog when the cities go broke trying to pay their employee pensions and want the State of Texas and the Feds to bail them out.

[montgomery]

It will be your dog when the cities go broke trying to pay their employee pensions and want the State of Texas and the Feds to bail them out.

Be careful of what you wish for is what the 400 firefighters with pink slips are thinking right about now.

[Scott B.]

It will be your dog when the cities go broke trying to pay their employee pensions and want the State of Texas and the Feds to bail them out.

Be careful of what you wish for is what the 400 firefighters with pink slips are thinking right about now.

They wished for a pay raise. City said, can't afford it. Jobs will go if it passes. Passes. Jobs went.

Not a great situation and the pension plans will break us all, but it's still interesting to watch from 'afar' <insert old aggie joke about the 3 wise men>.

[striker55]

Since the voters wanted to give firefighters a raise, raise the voters taxes to pay for it.

[OneGun]

I live in Houston, I voted against Prop B because I knew it would lead to mass lay-offs. The firefighters got exactly what they wanted, higher wages. Had the firefighters thought it through, they would have realized that Houston does not have a money tree and the only way to close the budget gap was to lay-off 400 firefighters and several dozen cadets.

Houston is going to be less protected now. I am concerned, really concerned.

[philip964]

Firemen were at every polling place. Libs turned out in droves to vote for Beto. They dont directly pay for property taxes so, sure give them a raise.

I’m hearing we got a AOC wannabe for County Judge and the firemen got a raise.

Mayor said we couldn’t afford it what with paying an attractive lady $200k to work in Hollowood pitching her reality TV show.

Now the two fiscal conservative candidates are saying the liberal mayor’s all wrong and risking the lives of every Houstonian. I’m now confused on who to vote for. The guy who wants to raise taxes and supports gun control while trying to hold the line on city labor costs. Or the Conservative business men who want to get the fiscal house in order by busting wide open the HFD budget.

Meanwhile the pension problem only gets worse.

And my property taxes go up 10% a year.

[TreyHouston]

Im glad they got the raise. Turner has always hated firefighters, this is nothing new. He says there is no money for the raise? bull! Here is over 100M fir a light rail to take rich people to the galleria. Scrap that mayor!

As far as firefighter salaries, they are some of the lowest in the nation. Every other city in Texas pays their firefighters at least 20% more. Do you want to keep the good firefighters, you got to pay.

[philip964]

Here is over 100M fir a light rail to take rich people to the galleria.

Light rail is METRO. Different local government. Paid for by a 1% sales tax in Houston and suburbs. No one elects the METRO board members.

The Galleria is getting a 100M center median bus lane no one will use especially rich people.

[TreyHouston]

Here is over 100M fir a light rail to take rich people to the galleria.

Light rail is METRO. Different local government. Paid for by a 1% sales tax in Houston and suburbs. No one elects the METRO board members.

The Galleria is getting a 100M center median bus lane no one will use especially rich people.

Ya, thats the one I’m talking about!

[Rubicon]

It will be your dog when the cities go broke trying to pay their employee pensions and want the State of Texas and the Feds to bail them out.

Be careful of what you wish for is what the 400 firefighters with pink slips are thinking right about now.

They wished for a pay raise. City said, can't afford it. Jobs will go if it passes. Passes. Jobs went.

[Rubicon]

Since the voters wanted to give firefighters a raise, raise the voters taxes to pay for it.

They should make these things work like kickstarter. People can pledge money and if the initiative passes it comes out of the pockets of the people who voted for it.

[striker55]

So the mayor is laying off FD cadets at the same time starting a new class of PD cadet's. Who has the mayor in their pocket?

[KLB]

Police and fire unions have powerful lobbies that dispense cash and offer manpower for campaigns. Politicians gain by catering to these power bases. The politicians who sell out will be long gone when the city has to declare bankruptcy.

[philip964]

https://www.click2houston.com/news/hfd- ... -for-mayor

HFD endorses the other Africa American who has just announced he is running for mayor.

So we have a businessman who promises lower taxes and lost by 400 votes last time

We have the current mayor who ran on fixing the potholes but now we have a garbage problem and the firefighters are mad at him because he says he is holding the line on the budget, but proposed a 10 percent tax increase and Harvey was still in town.

We have a rich personal injury attorney who says he’s going to clean up, but is in the news too much with his private life.

And now a guy I have never heard of who the Firemen like.

Sounds like a runoff for sure.