City controller says Proposition B will cost 'significantly more'

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - In the battle over pay parity for Houston firefighters, City Controller Chris Brown says if voters approve Proposition B to pay firefighters the same wages as police, it will cost significantly more than previously estimated.

Brown says when you factor in the seven percent pay increase that police officers were just awarded by the City of Houston, the cost of parity for firefighters rises to $100 million dollars in 2019, $112 million in 2021. His new cost estimates are in line with those presented to voters by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Houston firefighters have not had a pay increase in seven years and say they deserve to be compensated at the same level as their fellow first responders in the Houston Police Department.