FOX13 Investigates: Where could money for city pay raises come from?

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Pay raises for Memphis city employees may sounds good on paper, but what’s the cost?

On Tuesday, city council approved putting pay raises in the budget for members of six unions.

RELATED: Memphis City Council votes on proposed budget that includes possible raises for city workers

If the raises are going to stay in the budget, the city is on the clock to find the money to pay for them.

The pay raises are as follows:

• 5% for AFSCME, the union for sanitation workers
• 5% for the Memphis Police Association (MPA)
• 5% for IAFF, the Memphis Fire union
• 5% for CWA, the union for communications/dispatchers
• 6% for IBEW, union for electrical workers
• 7% for machinists

They're all higher than the 3% raise Mayor Paul Young and his administration proposed.

“They’re people who pick up your trash, who answer the call when you call 911. They're the people who are our fire and police that literally save lives and put their lives on the line. So I think what it says is we're investing in the people who make Memphis better,” Councilwoman Jerri Green told FOX13 on Wednesday.

Green said in the coming weeks, the council is looking to hear from Young's administration about how many city positions are vacant and also what programs are underperforming to look at possible funding sources for raises. “I think it's going to be a combination of cuts and reprioritization, looking deeply at programs and deciding whether they are doing the work they're supposed to do. And of course also raising some revenues,” said Green.

FOX13 has told you for years the Memphis Police Department is short hundreds of officers. Interim Chief C.J. Davis says the goal is to have 2,300 officers, but they’re currently sitting at just over 1,800. That number is not including officers who retire or may be on leave.

For Memphis Fire, the exact number of vacant positions is unknown, but Green said the council asked the city and department for that number in an upcoming meeting. “I think fire in particular was very contentious for us, because we were told recently by the administration that we had to take $10 million out of the general fund to pay for firefighters or else they wouldn't make payroll, and now we're learning that there are vacancies that could have paid for that. That's troubling, so we're starting fresh,” she said.

In a statement, Mayor Paul Young told FOX13: “At yesterday's impasse hearing, the council voted in favor of the associations. The impact of that vote is $23.9M - or an additional $13.1M, which will have to be accounted for as we work together to balance the budget. Our administration remains dedicated to a budget outcome that aligns with our commitment to a cleaner, safer, and stronger Memphis.”