by Melissa Bailey | March 22, 2007 11:24 PM
Melissa Bailey Photo
Zeroing in on the places where the mayor's $445.2 budgetbulged the most, aldermen grilled police and fire chiefs on overtime costs. The grilling lent no hope of cutting back costs, but did shed light on recruitment snags and the conclusion of an internal investigation of firemen's acting pay.
Both chiefs were asked about their respective staffing needs, internalinvestigationsand overtime pay as part of a budget workshop held by the aldermanic Finance Committee in City Hall Thursday night. (Click hereto read the mayor's FY07-08 budget, which is being examined in a series of hearings).
Overtime Blooms Amid Staffing Troubles
With overtime costs bulging at the police department -- up half a million from FY06-07, reaching $2.5 million, the big question was how to get new recruits in the system to relieve those costs.
Weak recruitmentnumbers -- another police academy member dropped out Wednesday, leaving the class at 27, testified Chief Cisco Ortiz (pictured) -- have darkened hopes to both make the city the biggest force in the state with replenished walking beats, and to cut overtime costs.
"It's a challenge," said Ortiz, recounting the small number of qualified candidates reaped from a recent recruitment drive. "It's very disheartening and disappointing."
"It's a nationwide problem," said Human Resources chief Tina Burgett. "You get very few hits out of the newspaper ad, often." The timing of the drive didn't pick up many recent college grads, she added.
Soon-to-be Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts said he'd look at recruiting recent military returnees, and explore different methods of recruitment when the city retries the process next year. For now, the city hopes to grab another handful off the testing list to send to the Meriden POST Academy. "It will be one hand," said Smuts, referring to the number of additions.
The city had originally hoped for a class of 45. Ortiz said extra overtime dollars would help tide the force over until December, when new recruits hit the streets.
A recent FBI sting and theft and bribery scandalhas made staffing all the more uncertain: Three police officers recently submitted for early retirement, and more arrests are expected as part of the FBI probe.
Questions posed to Fire Chief Michael Grant (pictured) -- whose department is asking to add $2.9 million to its FY06-07 budget ending at $29.9 million -- turned up a few interesting revelations, but no expectation of any decrease in costs.
The Audit
The Fire Department's mini-scandal, far overshadowed by the PD's current woes, is nearing to a conclusion, reported Grant.
Ever since Grant heard some firefighters were getting overpaid through acting pay or double-submitted timesheets, the department has been undergoing an auditof its paper-heavy payroll system. The audit examined pay differentials for firefighters who are serving in acting positions pending promotion. Fire department promotion tests have been on hold since 2004 due to a continuing legal struggle. Under departmental rules, a fireman can only receive acting pay while acting in that official capacity, not, for example, for vacation time.
At the outset of the investigation, critics wondered how widespread the overpayment had been, and if some firemen, perhaps miffed at the delay in promotions, had been intentionally milking the system.
Grant concluded the amount of funds overpaid was minimal, and "I did not find anyone who was deliberately trying" to cheat the department.
Out of 500 acting pay slips examined by the audit, only 13 showed discrepancies, reported Grant. The amount of overpayment summed to only $1,700 to $2,000. Grant said the department is still discussing how the funds will be repaid.
Recruitment Snag
After fire recruits poured into the Omni Hotel to take a written test, some have complained they were later jolted out of the process because they didn't get the notice in time to return for the oral test. Out of a total 1,100 applicants, 832 were called back to take the oral test, said Human Resources' Brugette.
A small number -- five to eight people -- have come forward saying they missed the test because they didn't get a letter ahead of time. Burgett said those problems were mostly attributed to postal problems with forwarding addresses. "You have to tell us when you move."
Hill Alderman Jorge Perez sought a remedy: "So, the decision's been made, 'Good luck?'"
"Better luck next time," said Burgett. "There's nothing we can do when we're testing 832" people.
Overtime Shell Game
Of the Fire Department's $29.9 million budget in the mayor's budget, overtime pay takes up $2.3 million. Would that figure be slimmed down after the department's recruitment drive fills 10 to 15 of the nearly 50 vacancies? Aldermen wanted to know.
Grant said yes -- the new class would save about $1 million in overtime pay.
Yale Alderman Nick Shalek puzzled over that assertion.
According to the recently settled fire union contract, firemen no longer get time-and-a-half pay for overtime hours, but "straight time" instead. Firefighters aren't paid extra for overtime hours unless they're putting in a total 212 hours per 28-day period, a threshold not often reached, according to Fire Union President Patrick Egan.
So, how would new recruits actually save money when most of the time, overtime pay is equal to regular pay?
Grant didn't fully address that question.
Smuts did: Hiring more people would mostly just shift money from the "overtime" line item in the budget into the "salary" line item -- i.e. shifted around but not saved.
There are, of course, other reasons to hire new recruits -- by contract there must be 73 firefighters on duty at all times. A bigger force would help ensure that goal can still be met while members are out on vacation, injury or sick leave.
Could the 73 figure be revisited? Suggested Beaver Hills Alderman Moti Sandman. Egan, the union president, wouldn't think of it. "The proper staffing number came from the testimony of the chief's office... It's the number needed to provide the services necessary to the city."