A criminal justice nonprofit is dropping its challenge to the city's new labor contract with the Austin Police Department.
Equity Action tried to block a vote on the five-year, $218-million deal with the police union last month. The group behind the Austin Police Oversight Act said the contract language undermined the voter-approved transparency measure.
Austin City Council approved the contract 10-1, with Zo Qadri the lone "no."
In a filing this week, the group said since the council and union both approved the contract, the language is final and the challenge is moot.
Kathy Mitchell with Equity Action said the language in the contract about previously confidential police files, known as "G-files," was murky. The challenge sought to change that language to ensure the files would be made public. Mitchell said she was heartened Austin has begun releasing the files, though only after a court order. She said other elements of the APOA, like a citizen-led police misconduct review panel, haven't been addressed.
"We really just want to see the city live up to the promises that it made during the process. We heard very clearly that the intent here was to fully implement the APOA," she said. "We are still waiting for much of that implementation."
Equity Action and other Austinites came out in droves to protest the labor deal. Opponents said it was too costly and could undermine the APOA.
Supporters argued the city had to pass a deal to both retain and recruit more officers to APD, which has struggled with attrition over the last four years.
City staff has repeatedly assured council and the public that the deal would incorporate the transparency provisions of the measure.
The contract's approval Oct. 24 followed years of occasionally contentious negotiations.
