Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A gaping divide remains between police officers and city administrators in ongoing contract talks centered on officer pay, with the city offering only a fraction of the increase police officers are seeking.
Negotiators for the city of Del Rio, including City Attorney Ana Markowski Smith, Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez and Interim Finance Director Roxy Soto met with negotiators for the Del Rio Police Officers Association (DRPOA) in council chambers at City Hall on Monday, Oct. 5. Joining the city was chief negotiator Camela Sandmann, an attorney with the city’s contracted firm Denton, Navarro, Rodriguez Bernal Santee & Zech, P.C.
Representing the DRPOA were Adrian Garcia, as well as John Paul Maldonado, Trevor Snyder and Paul Hurley. Also joining DRPOA
Adrian Garcia, all members of the Del Rio Police Department, and Carlos Zamorano, a
negotiator with Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT). (Photo by Karen Gleason)
representatives was Carlos Zamorano, a negotiator with the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT).
Sandmann opened the session by discussing moving the date for closing of negotiations to Oct. 27, then told the police association representatives she and the city reps were ready to hear what they had to say.
Zamorano and Sandmann spent several minutes discussing issues including bereavement leave, hourly pay for private duty security and expanding the ranks permitted higher classification pay for temporarily serving at a rank above their own.
Zamorano then delved into the main issue dividing the two sides – officer pay.
DRPOA members have requested a 35 percent increase in officer salaries, pointing out Del Rio pays its officers less than Eagle Pass, Uvalde, Hondo and San Angelo and charging the low pay is the number one factor in officers leaving the department.
During the contract negotiation session on Sept. 23, city officials showed a presentation on the city’s budget and countered the DRPOA’s request of a 35 percent increase with an offer of a 2.5 percent pay raise.
During the meeting Monday, Oct. 5, Zamorano began discussing the pay issue by noting city officials had said the cost of the police and fire departments eat up 41 percent of the city’s general fund. However, he said, the two departments only represent 13 percent of the city’s total annual budget.
He added in years past, the city allocated more resources to its public safety departments.
Zamorano said, “You go back to (Fiscal Year) 2021-2022, and that number was 52.5 (percent). In (Fiscal Year) 2022-2023, that number dropped to 47.2 percent. In (Fiscal Year) 2023-2024, 44.6, so we’ve seen a decline. In (Fiscal Year) 2024-2025, there was a slight increase, about four-tenths of a percent to 45 (percent), and then the drop this year to 41.
“So that number, 41 percent, represents a drop-off of 11.4 percent from just five years ago. Why was there a drop-off? Why is it not feasible now when it was feasible just five years ago?” Zamorano asked.
Karen Gleason)
Zamorano also pointed out the 2.5 percent pay increase offered by the city amounted to an increase of about $48.67 per paycheck before taxes.
He said, “The point here is that we’re trying to keep officers from leaving. The association is talking to members, trying to keep them patient. They had a meeting just yesterday, again, explaining to the members that this is still a work in progress, that we’re still trying to do what we can to keep them here, to keep the incentives coming, to keep them motivated to stay with the city of Del Rio.”
Zamorano then offered the association’s counter proposal – a pay increase of 10 percent.
A 10 percent increase, Zamorano said, would amount to about $194.67 more per paycheck before taxes.
Garcia, who currently serves as the association’s president, said he believes the association has the support of the public, citing a recent online survey by the Del Rio News Network, a local digital media platform, in which 705 persons voted in favor of a pay raise for officers, and 68 persons voting against a raise.
Garcia said, “Back in July, the city of Del Rio did a proposed budget survey, with community input, and the main thing that was important for the community, that they were surveyed on, was public safety, so with the public support, there is a need that the community sees that we want our officers to stay here.”
Garcia said there are now at least 18 Del Rio police officers he knows of who have applications out with other departments.
Garcia said, “I really don’t want my officers to leave. They’re great at their jobs. They have experience and I just don’t know how we can recruit five years, seven years, eight years, 10 years, in a short amount of time if they do leave. If they leave, that’s going to leave us with probationary officers, with no guidance.
“And (with) no guidance from line officers, they’re pretty much learning by themselves, with supervisors now doing line officers’ work, plus their supervisory duties. So there is a need to correct this problem, because if we keep on pushing it down the line longer and longer and longer, there’s no way we’re going to be able to catch up, and unfortunately, at some point, it will be a huge pay increase all at once. We’re trying to keep that from happening, but the reality is, I think this is the year that will (be the straw that) breaks the camel’s back, unfortunately,” Garcia said.
Zamorano said the parties have so far been discussing a one-year contract but noted if the city were willing to consider a multi-year contract, it might make it easier to spread the requested pay increase over several years.
Garcia added in Val Verde County alone, “we’re 7 percent behind in starting pay compared to the school PD, and we’re about 15 percent behind the VVSO (Val Verde Sheriff’s Office). So, with years coming. . .we’re going to stay stagnant while they increase. . .That’s why I’m saying, a few years down the road, it’s going to be a huge pay increase all at one time in order to keep anybody here.”
Zamorano and Sandmann briefly discussed changing the start date of negotiations in future years so the negotiations can be completed before the city finalizes its annual budget. Then Sandmann suggested each group caucus privately.
The two teams returned to open session after about 30 minutes.
Sandmann asked how the association envisioned the multi-year contract it had proposed.
Zamorano said, “We have some catching up to some other departments in the area, and what we were looking at is a percentage over the three years, breaking up the percentages. We wouldn’t ask you for a 30 percent increase up front. We would be looking at, whatever percentage we agree on, broken up. . . We would be willing to work on that over at least a three-year deal.”
Sandmann then went back to the requests by the association for a timeline for negotiations earlier in the year.
Sandmann said, “Is the object of you wanting to have the deadlines . . . to get in prior to budget processing? Is that your goal?”
Zamorano replied, “That’s absolutely one of them, yes.”
He and Sandmann spent some minutes discussing the deadlines for negotiations to begin in the spring instead of late summer, as they did this year.
Sandmann reiterated something she had mentioned in earlier sessions, “There’s only a finite amount of money. There’s no hidden money anywhere, (and we said) that if we only had a certain amount, where would you want that concentrated, and you wanted it in pay, and so that’s what we gave you.”
Sandmann told DRPOA members she and the city team would continue “to run some numbers” on the officers’ pay request, adding, “. . . the budget’s already done, with even the 2.5 percent right now that’s on the table, you all are getting a half percent more than what the regular folks are getting. . .”
The group then scheduled their next meeting, for Monday, Oct. 19, and Thursday, Oct. 22.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
