Houston City Council approved changes to the city’s master pay structure May 27, adjusting minimum rate offers for certain jobs. The ordinance passed unanimously without discussion.
What it means
The city added a new pay grade for police and fire cadets. Previously, they were under pay grade 10, which, at minimum, offered around $18 an hour, according to the city’s job classification.
According to the department, the new pay grade would result in a $52,000 annual salary and would be under a new pay grade listed as CDT.
Some background
This comes after the city approved a $832 million contract in 2025, which will raise officers’ salaries by 36.5% over the next five years.
The first increase was in July 2025, with a 10% salary increase. The next increase will be in July 2026, with an 8% increase.
The full salary breakdown is:
- 10% increase: July 2025
- 8% increase: July 2026
- 6% increase: July 2027
- 6% increase: July 2028
- 6.5% increase: July 2029
More details
The amendment also increased the minimum wage for certain job classifications.
Seasonal jobs, including lifeguards, recreation assistants, seasonal interns and laborers, will now receive a minimum wage of $13.15 an hour. These jobs are considered pay grade 3.
Jobs like mechanic helper, imaging technician, library assistant, truck driver and cashier are now raised to a minimum wage of $18 an hour, under pay grade 5.
One more thing
Changes will take effect in July, after the fiscal year 2026-27 budget is approved.
