SIMI VALLEY : Post-Quake Overtime Pay May Hit $108,000

Overtime for Simi Valley city employees who worked the week of the Jan. 17 earthquake could top $108,000, according to early estimates from the city’s budget office.

In a draft report prepared by budget officer Ken Schechter, overtime costs from Jan. 17 to 23 were estimated at $78,000 for police, $10,500 for sanitation, $9,000 for public works, $8,000 for waterworks and $3,000 for others.

“These figures are very preliminary,” Schechter said. “This will just begin to give us an idea of what our overtime expenses will be.”

Schechter had not compiled the total number of overtime hours worked or the cost of overtime beyond Jan. 23. Many city employees are still on quake-related overtime schedules, he said.

Some employees will be reimbursed with extra time off rather than overtime pay, Schechter said.

As with other quake expenses, city officials said they plan to seek reimbursement for the overtime from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state Office of Emergency Services. If approved, FEMA will pay 75%, the OES 18.75% and the city 6.25%.

The City Council on Monday agreed to pay an additional $35,000 to a disaster grants management consultant to help the city complete its state and federal emergency grant applications.