Last week, members of the Public Safety Commission heard from Intergovernmental Relations Deputy Officer Rick Ramirez about bills the city helped pass and those the city opposed during the regular session of the state Legislature. Among those important to Austin and its public safety employees was one making changes to the firefighters’ pension fund. Under that legislation, more funds will be devoted to the pension fund. In addition, firefighters who join the department as of January 1, 2026, will not receive the same benefits as current members of the Fire Department.
A second bill related to firefighters allows Austin firefighters to continue to engage in collective bargaining. A ruling by the Texas Supreme Court had put that process in doubt, Ramirez said.
One major plus for the city’s emergency medical personnel was a bill put forth by former Council Member and current Rep. Sheryl Cole and Texas Sen. Sarah Eckhardt. HB 1105 provides that institutions of higher education shall exempt EMS employees from tuition payments and laboratory fees, Ramirez said. That bill, effective immediately, would apply to any student who is enrolled in a paramedic curriculum and is employed by a city.
Although they each have a rough idea of what funding cuts might impact their departments and how they will deal with that, representatives of Austin Fire, EMS and Police expressed uncertainty about how much their budgets will be reduced once Council has approved the upcoming budget.
Robert Vires, chief of staff for AFD, reiterated that the department would be required to lower the number of firefighters assigned to firefighting equipment. That plan has caused considerable friction between the firefighters union and management. Council would have to amend an ordinance passed in 2018 if they want three rather than four firefighters per piece of equipment.
Austin Police Department chief of staff Robin Henderson said the department would move forward with the plan to move officers out of the academy and into patrol, while replacing those at the academy. That change will take place on August 24, she said. She did not provide any further information on changes the department might make, noting that they are not sure exactly what the budget will look like. Wes Hopkins, EMS chief of staff, said his department is still working on vacancies. He noted that some administrative staff had been moved into the 911 call center on a temporary basis.
The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.