SAN ANTONIO – The Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Bexar County has overwhelmingly voted in favor of a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with Bexar County, according to a news release.
This comes after the previous agreement expired in September 2021.
The DSABC voted late Friday evening 500-51 in favor of the new contract, which includes higher pay for deputies and the creation of a Citizens Advisory Board, among other items.
“We are pleased to provide a fair contract to the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and are so pleased that they accepted it,” Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said in a release.
According to the DSABC, the new agreement provides the following:
- Establishes a minimum 15% pay raise through 2025.
- A lump-sum payment of $2,000 per deputy on the first pay period of the agreement
- The creation of a Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) to “assure objective administrative review of complaints against deputies.”
“Last summer, the Court laid out priorities for a new collective bargaining agreement, specifically for higher pay and to involve our community in protecting public safety for all. I’m happy to see that these have been embraced,” Precinct 2 County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said in a news release.
The CAB will be comprised of 10 Bexar County citizens. According to the agreement, two people will be appointed by each member of the Commissioners Court and one non-voting member will be selected by the DSABC.
Along with this new agreement is the elimination of the arbitration process. Instead, it will be replaced with an “enhanced Civil Service Commission process.”
The commission will be comprised of seven members, according to the DSABC. These members include: one appointed by the sheriff, one appointed by the district attorney, one appointed by the county judge and one appointed by each county commissioner.
The appointments of the CSC members will be effective 30 days after a new Civil Service Commissioner is appointed, but no later than July 1, according to a news release.
“The new agreement sets the right tone. We are making sure our deputies are paid fairly, while at the same time, we ensure fairness in the complaint review process,” Precinct 3 County Commissioner Marialyn Barnard said in a release.
The Commissioners Court will ratify the new agreement on Feb. 8.