City Offers Del Rio Police 61-Cent-Per-Hour Increase; Association Counters With $2.43

DEL RIO, Texas — The gap between the City of Del Rio and the Del Rio Police Association over officer pay can be broken down to two numbers: approximately 61 cents per hour versus $2.43 per hour.

During the latest round of collective bargaining negotiations, the Police Association presented calculations showing what the City’s proposed 2.5% pay increase would mean for officers and what the association’s counterproposal of at least 10% would cost.

According to figures presented by the association’s negotiator, the calculations were based on approximately 66 officers and about $3.34 million in annual police payroll.

Under the City’s 2.5% proposal, the negotiator calculated an additional annual payroll cost of approximately $83,510.

That translates to an average of approximately:

$1,265 more per officer per year
$0.61 more per hour
$48.67 more per paycheck before taxes

The negotiator emphasized that those are averages and that individual officers would receive different amounts depending on their current pay.

The Police Association responded by asking for at least a 10% increase, saying the larger raise would give officers more incentive to remain with the department.

Under the association’s calculations, a 10% increase would raise annual payroll from approximately $3.34 million to $3.674 million, adding roughly $334,000 per year.

That proposal averages approximately:

$5,061 more per officer per year
$2.43 more per hour
$194.67 more per paycheck before taxes

Again, the association noted that some officers would receive more and some less depending on their individual salaries.

The Difference

Using the figures presented during negotiations, the City’s proposal and the association’s counterproposal are separated by approximately $250,490 in additional annual payroll.

The association’s 10% proposal would provide the average officer approximately $3,796 more per year than the City’s current 2.5% proposal.

On a paycheck basis, the difference is approximately $146 before taxes.

Those three figures are DRNN calculations based directly on the payroll numbers presented by the Police Association during the bargaining session.

The association has tied its request for a larger increase to officer retention, saying the goal of the 10% counterproposal is to give officers a reason to stay with the Del Rio Police Department.

For now, neither the City’s 2.5% offer nor the association’s 10% counterproposal represents a final agreement.

Negotiations remain ongoing.

DRNN will continue following the collective bargaining process and breaking down what each proposal would mean for Del Rio officers and taxpayers.