Houston City Council postponed 220 firefighter layoffs April 17 after negotiations between the mayor’s office and the Houston Professional Firefighters Association failed early the same week. District D Council Member Dwight Boykins “tagged” the agenda item regarding the layoffs, which delays it until the next council meeting April 24. The layoffs are the culmination of disagreements between the mayor’s office and the firefighters union over how to implement pay raises for all firefighters as mandated by voter-approved Proposition B. The notices serve has 60-day notices, and positions are not officially terminated until the 60-day mark is reached, city of Houston Communications Director Alan Bernstein said. The notices must be sent out prior to May 1 so the city will have time to factor them into the next fiscal year budget, which beings July 1, according to the city. The agenda item comes after two rounds of layoff notices were sent to fire academy cadets and municipal workers across several departments.