State district judge rules Proposition B unconstitutional

Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday that a state district judge has declared Proposition B, the pay parity charter amendment approved by voters last November, was unconstitutional and void. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday that a state district judge has declared Proposition B, the pay parity charter amendment approved by voters last November, was unconstitutional and void. Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close State district judge rules Proposition B unconstitutional 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

A state district judge on Wednesday ruled Proposition B, the voter-approved measure that grants Houston firefighters the same pay as police of corresponding rank and seniority, unconstitutional and void.

The ruling came in a lawsuit brought in November by the Houston Police Officers' Union, in which the group contended that the charter amendment conflicts with the Texas constitution.

Mayor Sylvester Turner briefly stopped the weekly city council meeting to announce the ruling.

The mayor has estimated that firefighters' raises would cost $79 million during the 2020 fiscal year. City council approved 220 firefighter layoff notices earlier this month to partially fund the raises. More than 100 fire cadets and municipal workers also have received 60-day layoff notices.

Prop B has been ruled unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/8XuywEo7A5 — Mayor_HOUCommunications (@houmayor) May 15, 2019

Just last Friday, the city announced it had implemented Prop B, retroactive to Jan. 1, sending firefighters checks for backpay.

Not all firefighters received the raises, however, because they lacked the education requirements of corresponding police officers, the Turner administration said

This is a developing story and will be updated on HoustonChronicle.com.