County Overtime Pay Up 50% From Previous Year

Overtime pay to county workers jumped in the just-ended budget year by more than 50% to the highest level since the 1994 bankruptcy, fueling concern that county government is relaxing its austerity policies.

The county paid its 15,000 workers $26.6 million for overtime in the 1996-97 budget year, up from $17.3 million the year before, according to data obtained under the California Public Records Act.

The total works out to an average of more than $1,750 per worker, though some departments approved the use of overtime much more frequently than others.

County officials acknowledge that they have dropped some of the tight overtime restrictions imposed after the December 1994 bankruptcy filing but insist that they continue to closely monitor spending.

“We always have to be cautious that overtime doesn’t get out of control, but I don’t think that has happened,” said Gary Burton, the county’s chief financial officer. “With the county operating a little more normally now, you see that the pendulum can swing only so far in one direction before it comes back a little.”

Still, Burton and other budget officials reminded department heads Monday that they must use overtime sparingly and should be prepared to justify the increased expenditures recorded over the last year.

Supervisor Todd Spitzer also expressed concern about the rising overtime costs and has asked county Chief Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier to provide his office with more information on the subject.

Some of the largest overtime bills were submitted by the Sheriff’s Department, the Social Services Agency and the Probation Department, all of which are grappling with overcrowding at detention facilities and the Orangewood home for abused and neglected children.

Burton said the higher costs can be attributed in part to the overcrowding, which requires guards, counselors and others to work more hours when the population swells.

Board of Supervisors Chairman William G. Steiner said the county has tried to reduce overtime spending at Orangewood by increasing the number of full-time workers at the home.

“This is cost-effective because we won’t be paying workers as much time-and-a-half,” Steiner said. “When the workload increases and you have a cut in personnel, the end result is an increase in overtime. That’s a fact of life.”

At the Sheriff’s Department, overtime costs jumped to $16,083,780 from $10,642,269 in the 1995-96 budget year. The total is slightly less than 1993-94, when overtime hit $16,334,702.

Lt. Ron Wilkerson said the bigger overtime charges came in part because the Sheriff’s Department took over the county’s emergency communications system as well as other functions. Total staffing at the department has risen from 2,396 in 1995 to 2,592 in the 1997-98 budget approved by the Board of Supervisors in June.

The overtime numbers include a form of compensation known as “Madera” pay, which provides law enforcement officers with pay for a portion of their lunch hour to make up for times when they cannot take a break because of pressing duties. He said as much as $5 million of the $16 million was “Madera” pay.

Wilkerson said it should be no surprise that the Sheriff’s Department recorded the highest overtime totals.

“It’s the nature of the business we are in,” he added. “You cannot stop doing a drunk driving case or some other type of investigation because your shift ends and it’s time to go home. You have to proceed with it.”

Burton said many departments such as the assessor and treasurer-tax collector find it cheaper to pay certain employee overtime during busy periods than to hire extra workers.

“Overtime is absolutely necessary to get the job done,” he said. “Using overtime rather than hiring additional staff for seasonal fluctuations is efficient.”

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Overtime Climbing

After declining for two years, overtime pay to county workers leaped 54% in the last fiscal year. The trend, in millions of dollars:

1993-94: $25.6

1994-95: 20.3

1995-96: 17.3

1996-97: 26.6

Here’s what the county departments with the highest 1996-97 overtime totals paid last fiscal year, in millions, and how that changed from the previous year:

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1996-97 total Change Sheriff’s Department* $16.1 51% Social Services Agency 2.8 121 Health Care Agency 1.4 34 Probation 1.3 -6

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* Includes pay deputies receive for working during lunch hour

Source: Orange County Auditor-Controller