Dallas City Council Agrees to New 'Meet and Confer' Agreement for Police, Fire-Rescue Personnel

The Dallas City Council approved the latest meet and confer agreement with the city's police and fire-rescue associations.

Meet and confer agreements are negotiated with public safety labor unions to provide a structured framework for negotiating, pay, benefits, and working conditions for covered personnel.

The new agreement includes market-based salary enhancements designed to maintain the city's position as a competitive employer among major Texas cities.

"This newly adopted meet and confer agreement with the city's police and fire-rescue associations—recently ratified by participating officers and firefighters—underscores Dallas' unwavering commitment to our first responders and reflects a strong, unified partnership between the city and its uniformed workforce," said City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.

Tolbert continued, "We sincerely thank the associations for their collaboration and dedication throughout this processes, and we commend the City Council for its decisive leadership in approving this agreement, reaffirming our shared commitment to those who protect and serve our community every day."

Under the new agreement, officers in their first year of service will see targeted pay increases, along with step-pay adjustments for eligible employees. Step adjustments are retroactive for officers with eligibility dates between Oct. 1, 2025, and the ratification date, while market-based pay adjustments take effect retroactively to the first full pay period following Jan. 1, 2026.

Additional improvements include an increased monthly education incentive (rising from $300 to $400) for officers holding a qualifying master's degree or higher. The agreement also removes the former five-year cap on lateral entry experience, enabling new recruits to receive pay commensurate with their prior full service.