12 Oct Del Rio Police and City Still Apart on Pay After Latest Bargaining Session

Del Rio and its police officers’ association still have no deal on pay. The city is offering a 2.5% raise, and the association is now asking for 10%, according to the 830 Times, which covered the Oct. 5 bargaining session.

The Del Rio Police Officers Association first asked for 35%. The city responded Sept. 23, after presenting its budget, with the 2.5% offer. On Oct. 5, the association lowered its request to 10%.

The association’s negotiator, Carlos Zamorano of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, said the city’s offer works out to about $48.67 more per paycheck before taxes. He put 10% at about $194.67.

Why the Association Says It Needs More

Association members say pay is driving officers out of the department. They note that Eagle Pass, Uvalde, Hondo and San Angelo all pay more than Del Rio.

Association President Adrian Garcia said he knows of 18 or more officers who have applied elsewhere. In Val Verde County alone, he said, starting pay trails the school district’s police by about 7% and the sheriff’s office by about 15%.

Garcia warned that losing experienced officers would leave newer ones without guidance and push supervisors into patrol work on top of their own duties. Waiting, he said, only means a larger raise later.

He also cited public support: an informal Del Rio News Network online poll with 705 votes for a raise and 68 against. He said the city’s July budget survey showed public safety is what residents care about most.

What the City Says

Camela Sandmann, the city’s chief negotiator, said the city only has so much to spend and isn’t holding anything back. She said that when it asked the association where to direct the money it had, the officers chose pay.

She added that the budget is already set, and the 2.5% is half a percentage point more than other city employees are getting. The city will keep crunching the numbers on the officers’ request.

The Union’s Budget Argument

Zamorano said city officials have described police and fire as taking up 41% of the general fund. He said the two departments make up only 13% of the total city budget.

He said the 41% is also a retreat. The general fund share was 52.5% in 2021-22, then 47.2% and 44.6% in the next two years. It rose slightly to 45% in 2024-25 before falling to 41% this year. If the city could afford it five years ago, he asked, why not now?

Multi-Year Deal and Timeline

The two sides have discussed a one-year contract so far. Zamorano said a contract running three years or longer would let the association spread the raise out instead of asking for it all at once.

Both sides also discussed starting talks in the spring so a deal is done before the city sets its budget. Sandmann raised moving the close of this year’s talks to Oct. 27.

Other topics included bereavement leave, hourly pay for private-duty security work and letting more ranks earn higher pay when temporarily serving above their own.

What’s Next

The city’s team included City Attorney Ana Markowski Smith, Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez and Interim Finance Director Roxy Soto. The two sides meet again Oct. 19 and Oct. 22.