HOUSTON — A measure that gives firefighters and police officers of equal ranks the same pay was approved by voters.
ABC13 reported that Proposition B was passed after a long fight to get it on the ballot and an opposition from Mayor Sylvester Turner, who said the pay parity measure could result in layoffs.
Firefighters have been advocating for the measure for months, saying they do not make as much as firefighters in other large cities.
“Give firefighters a chance to have a fair and livable wage and treat them equally, just like the City of Houston does to our brave Houston police officers,” Houston Professional Fire Fighters Union President Patrick Lancton said while advocating for the proposition, according to Click 2 Houston.
Turner, who used his own campaign funds to push against Proposition B, said the voting results present “a new set of huge obstacles.”
“The costs will be steep, as I have warned for months,” Turner said. “Under our city charter we don’t have a way to raise taxes to pay for this. The only way out is cuts in spending, and by far our biggest spending is on payroll.”