Houston committees review proposed five‑year HPD labor contract totaling $832 million

A draft five‑year labor contract for the Houston Police Department that city staff say would increase pay and incentive pay across ranks and cost $832 million over five years was presented Tuesday at a joint meeting of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee and Labor Committee.

Chief Harden, presenting the agreement, told the committees the proposal is designed to help recruitment and retention after years in which the department has not replaced officers faster than departures. "We've been policing this city for the last 25 years with the same amount of police officers," Chief Harden said, and the proposed increases are intended to make Houston competitive with other large Texas cities.

The contract outline shown to council members includes a 10% raise in year one, followed by increases of 8% in year two, 6% in year three, 6% in year four and 6.5% in year five, producing a five‑year fiscal impact the presentation put at $832,000,000. The proposal would raise first‑year base pay to $75,000, increase patrol and assignment special pays, and raise shift and weekend differentials. The presentation also highlighted non‑pay provisions such as changes to promotion point calculations, limits on a…