Advocacy group tries to halt City Council vote on Austin police contract, court docs say

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Equity Action, the advocacy group behind the Austin Police Oversight Act, has filed a temporary restraining order in a Travis County District Court in an attempt to halt Thursday's City Council vote on a police contract, according to online court records obtained by KXAN.

The city's labor negotiations team and the Austin Police Association (APA) reached a tentative agreement on a contract last month. This document is officially known as a "meet and confer agreement." It can't go into effect without council's permission.

The order claims the city is "poised to violate its ministerial duties under the Austin Police Oversight Act... by ratifying a tentative Meet and Confer Agreement on Oct. 24, 2024."

Equity Action, according to the order, is asking the court to order the city manager to remove the police contract item from Thursday's agenda.

KXAN reached out to Equity Action, the City and the APA for further comment. This story will be updated when we receive a response.

Equity Action first filed a lawsuit against the City last year, shortly after voters passed the Austin Police Oversight Act in May 2023. The organization claimed the City was not honoring what the voters put forth, and city staff said they were awaiting clarification about certain police oversight items from a judge.

In late August, a judge stated the City acted "unlawfully" by keeping certain police personnel records sealed, and the City has now begun releasing these records via the Texas Public Information Act.

As of Tuesday evening, the police contract is still set to be discussed Thursday.