http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-overtime4feb09,0,6921701.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
STAMFORD -- With more than four months left in the budget year, public safety officials are seeking $1.1 million to cover costs from severe weather, injuries on duty and other expenses.
The Board of Finance will review the requests at tonight's meeting. The city's fiscal year ends June 30.
The emergency communications workers are requesting $396,000; the police department is seeking $387,000; and fire officials are asking for $370,000.
From July to Jan. 31, police spent about $2.1 million on overtime, compared with $1.6 million the same time last year, said Pete Privitera, director of the city's Office of Policy and Management.
Firefighters spent $1.1 million in overtime this year, compared with $730,000 last year, he said.
"This is probably one of the higher (spending) years," he said.
Last fiscal year, the fire department spent about $1.2 million on overtime and is projecting $1.7 million in overtime expenses this year, an increase of nearly 42 percent. The police department spent about $2.6 million on overtime last year and expects to spend about $3.6 million this year, an increase of 38 percent.
Bill Callion, director of public safety, health and welfare, said most of the additional funding that will be requested by the emergency communications department is related to the reallocation of public safety dispatchers in the fall.
The dispatchers, trained civilians providing assistance on the phone, received an upgraded job classification and had to be brought up to proper pay levels after a union contract settlement went into effect retroactively July 1, he said.
Nearly $151,000 is related to overtime. Callion said much of it is the result of having four vacancies.
"We're trying to recruit and train new public safety dispatchers but that takes time," he said.
The department has four openings out of 34 positions, said Capt. Tom Wuennemann, who is in charge of the emergency communications center. Three people were hired but one left during the six-month training program, he said.
Another person is scheduled to begin training March 6, he said. One department worker is on long-term medical leave, but that person was scheduled to return this week, he said.
"It's unusual for us to have four openings," he said.
The department relies on the city's human resources department to provide it with a list of eligible candidates, but at one point, there was nobody on the list, Wuennemann said. Dennis Murphy, the city's director of human resources, said the list has since been replenished.
Wuennemann said he also is working on implementing a system that would allow him to train people in anticipation of vacancies.
One employee has indicated he will retire next fiscal year, so Wuennemann said he plans to seek funding in next year's budget to hire someone before that position opens up.
On the police department side, Callion said a big part of the $387,000 overtime request was driven by events that required additional manpower, such as a "microburst" in August, which occurs when wind is rushed down as a result of severe thunderstorms; the murder of an elderly woman in October; a powerful wind storm in January; and another homicide last month, which also led to unrest that required additional police presence.
"A lot of it is unpredictable but you have to do whatever you need to do to keep the city safe," he said. "You always hope you never have to go back to the well and have to ask for additional appropriations."
The 307-person police department also has 12 vacancies, which has been driving up overtime costs, Callion said.
But he said the department's recruiting efforts have been successful, with 19 officers graduating last month.
The department plans to administer another test for applicants later this month, he said.
In the fire department, Callion estimated about half of the $370,000 being sought is related to overtime, some of which is caused by vacancies and some by injuries.
Assistant Chief John McCabe said there has been a spike in injuries since winter started, estimating a dozen firefighters have been out at different points in the fiscal year.
"We're talking about surgeries, fractures, broken bones," he said.
The department, which has 238 positions, also has about eight vacancies, half of which opened up when four people retired last month, McCabe said.
The Board of Representatives approved a contract Monday that will allow the firefighters' union to hire eight more people, which Callion said will help cut down overtime costs.
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