CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
The long battle between the City and firefighters appears to be over. Both entities reached an agreement on firefighter contracts on Friday.
The major sticking point in the battle was firefighter's insurance.
$5.1 million total was added to the yearly budget for the Corpus Christi Fire Department. $1.4 million will go to salary increases over the next two years, at a 2-percent increase next year, and again the following year. $200,000 will go to retirees, and the rest is for insurance benefits.
They made a total agreement on wages, and made changes to other minor economic issues, including changes to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board language.
Both sides seem to be pleased with the final results, which Assistant City Manager Troy Riggs said was a good compromise for both of them.
"We believe it's a fair deal for both sides, but we'll let the firefighters and the City Council be the judge of that in the end," said Carlos Torres, president of the Corpus Christi Firefighters Association. "We just hope the approve us."
