SAN ANTONIO, Texas — San Antonio City Council approved a three-year contract with the city’s police union Thursday, committing about $102.3 million to higher officer pay and other benefits while requiring employees to shoulder more healthcare costs.
The council voted 10-1 to approve the collective bargaining agreement with the San Antonio Police Officers’ Association. District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez cast the only dissenting vote.
The contract takes effect Oct. 1 and runs through September 2029, replacing the current agreement when it expires at the end of September. Union members approved the agreement with 61% of the vote Aug. 31.
The agreement comes as San Antonio works to address a projected $158 million budget shortfall over two years, placing additional scrutiny on major city expenses.
The contract will increase city spending by $15.4 million in the first year, with the cumulative cost reaching $28.9 million in fiscal year 2028 and $57.9 million in fiscal year 2029. The city has already included the fiscal 2027 cost in its proposed General Fund budget.
Officers to receive 16.5% pay increase
The contract’s largest expense involves officer compensation.
Officers will receive a 4% across-the-board raise Oct. 1, followed from additional increases totaling 5% in fiscal year 2028 and 7.5% in fiscal year 2029. The increases amount to 16.5% over the three-year contract.
The city estimates wage increases will account for $101.7 million of the agreement’s $102.3 million total cost.
Officers working certain shifts will receive an additional $100 in incentive pay, while officers regularly assigned to weekends can receive another $50. The contract also changes additional compensation for officers who train new recruits.
The city estimates incentive-pay changes will cost $10.8 million over three years.
Healthcare changes will offset about $10.3 million of those costs, according to city estimates. Officers will pay higher deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket costs under the city’s two health plans.
Some officers who cover dependents through the city’s high-deductible plan will also begin making monthly contributions toward that coverage.
The agreement also includes measures aimed at controlling healthcare spending, including changes to prescription drug costs and eliminating coverage for non-emergency treatment at freestanding emergency rooms.
Council members generally supported the additional spending on officers, citing compensation as a factor in police recruitment and retention.
“They deserve to be paid and paid well for all the work that they do for our citizens,” District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte said.
Contract changes patrol schedules
The agreement changes patrol schedules to better align staffing with periods when police receive the most calls for service.
Deputy City Manager María Villagómez said the city examined call volume and the types of calls officers receive throughout the day to develop the new schedules.
The current system uses three eight-hour patrol shifts covering morning, evening and overnight hours, plus a separate 10-hour shift from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
The new contract eliminates the separate 10-hour shift. Instead, officers assigned to the three main patrol shifts will work either eight- or 10-hour schedules that overlap at different times.
Villagómez said the changes will increase overlap during periods when the city receives the most calls, including violent calls.
Contract changes disciplinary process
The agreement also changes procedures for officers involved in criminal proceedings and internal SAPD disciplinary cases.
Officers must notify the police chief when an underlying criminal case ends and within seven days of filing a petition to expunge a related criminal record.
First Assistant City Attorney Elizabeth Provencio said the change will help the city preserve records that could become relevant to an officer’s administrative appeal if a criminal case ends and a court later orders records expunged.
The contract also allows former SAPD officers who left the department in good standing to return within two years.
Other provisions expand bereavement leave to cover officers or their spouses who experience a miscarriage, give officers more flexibility in delaying retirement and cover education-related expenses for medical certifications connected to their duties.
