Budget Committee Advances Board Bill 1 After Heated Debate Over Police Raises and Fire Dept. Pay Parity

The Budget and Public Employees Committee voted 3–2 on Monday to send Board Bill 1 as amended to the full Board of Aldermen, approving a package of personnel additions, technical corrections and an allocation to cover most of a $1.4 million pay‑parity cost for the fire department tied to recent police raises.

Budget Director Paul Payne told the committee that committee-requested staffing additions accepted by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment included two HEO‑1 and two urban forestry positions ($246,956), a Justice Center program manager ($76,000), adjustments in the building division (including a building‑2 position at about $59,000 and an environmental health officer at roughly $60,000) and conversions of part‑time fire positions to full‑time that reduce per‑diem costs by about $45,000. Payne also described technical corrections, a $366,000 non‑personnel correction in the mail room budget and the inclusion of ward‑level capital exhibits in Board Bill 1.

The most contested element was a set of amendments (labeled 14A–C) to address pay parity for firefighters after commanding‑staff raises approved last week by the Board of Police Commissioners. Payne said upper‑level firefighter pay increases were estimated at about $1.4 million; the amendment packages $1.0 million to the fire department and offsets the remaining roughly $446,000 by reducing a rolling‑stock capital allotment in a GMT fund (from $2.6 million to $2.2 million) and shifting other salary offsets and line‑item reductions, including a $1 million reduction in a police judgments line.

"Net increase in the budget is zero," Payne said, summarizing the funding moves that leave the general fund balanced while making modest adjustments in special and capital funds.

Vice Chair Browning objected to the process and to the Board of Police Commissioners' role in prompting the parity obligation. Browning pressed that the police board approved commanding‑staff raises without appearing before the committee despite a subpoena and that the resulting parity requirement forces the city to raise firefighter pay even when the police department's line item was not increased by the committee's amendments. "I am going to vote no on this budget," Browning said on the record, characterizing the sequence of actions as "undemocratic" and raising concerns about future pension and budgetary impacts.

Payne warned that large salary increases can affect pension actuarial assumptions and raise next‑year contributions if they exceed assumptions used by the system’s actuaries, and that sustained double‑digit pay growth without revenue gains could force cuts elsewhere.

Several committee members sought clarifications during the meeting. Alderwoman T'nyae thanked staff for their work and emphasized that the committee's amendments do not raise the SLMPD line item beyond what the committee previously submitted. Alderman DeVore asked about the mechanics of reducing capital fleet funds by about $446,000 and whether that would specify which vehicles are deferred; Payne said the reduction is a funding adjustment and that specific equipment purchases are prioritized later with the equipment services division. Alderwoman Velasquez asked whether using settlement or judgment funds would affect statutory funding calculations; Payne said the adjustment should not affect those statutory calculations.

Alderwoman Sanye moved to pass Board Bill 1 as amended; the motion was seconded and carried on a 3–2 roll call (Alderwoman Sanye, Alderwoman Velasquez and Chair Aldridge voted yes; Vice Chair Browning and Alderman DeVore voted no). The bill will proceed to the full Board of Aldermen for consideration.

The committee packet and Payne’s summary list the amendment line items in detail, including personnel, corrections and capital exhibits. Next steps: the full Board will consider the bill at the Board of Aldermen meeting scheduled for 10:00 a.m., where members may debate the committee’s recommendation, and the city faces a July 1 fiscal deadline for adopting a budget.