Special Board of Aldermen 06-21-2021 Page 31
compensating from our payroll account, so when we have vacancies that’s actually funding part of the
overtime account.
So | can give you an example on our overtime. We now have a $1.2 million dollar current FY ’21 overtime
account. We spent $2 million dollars on overtime because we are actually paying for our overtime through
attrition, through our vacancies, we no longer have the vacancies we are fully staffed right now. So there’s
a very complex budget, it is not straight forward when you would think of a normal probably non municipal
budget where you put a line for your payroll, you put your line for your overtime. That’s not what we are
working with on our municipal budget. It’s a little bit different in the fact that we are offsetting our overtime
through our payroll and the uniqueness of law enforcement being shift work, having investigative, having
coverage. As the Chief mentioned, having trainings and there’s other miscellaneous overtime that could be
civilians, there’s just different types of — overtime is the nature of law enforcement. It’s not the exception as
you would have in private industry.
(Inaudible talking)
Chairman Dowd
Excuse me, you cannot ask questions from there, we can’t get you on the recording. You have to come to
a microphone and it is not your turn.
Mayor Donchess
And the answer is yes, it is at a higher rate.
Chairman Dowd
Are we done with the Police Department.
Unidentified Speaker
So if it’s at a higher rate, (inaudible). If it is at a higher rate than wouldn't it make sense?
Chairman Dowd
Could you state your name and address again, please?
Christina McKinney 6 South Gate Drive. Wouldn’t it make sense given as | said, I’ve seen the same million
dollar figure for years. Wouldn't it make sense to hire in advance so that we have people available at a
regular rate rather than a higher rate to support when you are doing training, to support when there are
things which clearly happen, you know they do because you’ve had this million dollars for years. So
wouldn’t make sense, | mean | don’t know, somebody back here said an average police officer is
something around $70,000.00. Well that’s 14 or 15 police officers. Surely we could add a few permanent
police officers that gives everyone a preparedness for training opportunities and every other kind of
unexpected thing at the regular rate and benefit everyone; benefit the Police Department, benefit the
people who need the extra help for training and all the rest of it which | think is important. | am all for the
boys in blue but it is absurd that we pay twice as much or whatever their excess rate is because we don’t
prepare for what is obviously needed year after year after year given that this in the budget every year that |
have looked at this. It makes no sense and it doesn’t support our policemen in the way they should be.
They shouldn’t be scrambling for someone to fill in unless the purpose is to create higher pay and if that’s
the case that’s not good for the citizens who are paying salaries.
Chief Carignan
Hold on one second please. |’ll answer that question.
