Laredo City Council to discuss firefighters’ wages

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - Laredo City Council will discuss the compensation for Laredo Firefighters and paramedics.

For the past few months, the City of Laredo and the firefighter’s association have been in negotiations but on Wednesday, Councilmembers are set to review the collective bargaining between the association and the city.

This includes a three-year contract term starting this June through September of 2025.

The agreement would provide dated wage increases.

The first one being effective June 1, 2023, for an across-the-board 3 percent wage increase followed by another 3 percent increase in October of this year, a 2 percent increase in October 2024 and a 1.5 percent increase in October 2025.

Councilwoman for District 3 Melissa Cigarroa said while it has not been an easy fiscal year, they are optimistic about the proposed resolution.

“With a growing budget from the police and fire department, I think these negotiations have found that middle ground so that it can be sustainable, so that we can provide police and fire departments with the salaries and the benefits that they deserve,” said Cigarroa. “And also understand the city’s plan for development, we’ll need funds as well, and it can be a balanced deal between the two.”

Cigarroa said that when it comes to budgeting, the city is looking on how budgeting for one department could impact services they provide to residents.

Cigarroa adds that the firefighter and police budget make up 60 percent of the city’s entire budget.

In this agreement, the city would also contribute a total of 1.5% to all firefighters pay toward the Laredo Firefighters Retirement System.

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