Houston City Council rejects a plan to raise garbage collection fees to fund pay raises for city firefighters. The panel voted 16-1 to reject the measure proposed by Councilman Dwight Boykins, who also cast the lone supporting vote.
There is growing tension between the city and its fire department over implementation of Prop-B, the voter-approved plan to offer pay parity to firefighters. Mayor Sylvester Turner insists massive layoffs would be necessary to fund the plan. He officially reached out to the firefighter's union yesterday with a letter offering a five-year phase in plan, which Turner's office says would avoid layoffs in the fire department and among municipal staffers.