COM 0184.023 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Because of mandated budget restrictions, we have tried to hold the line on increases in our operating budget. However, unavoidable cost increases in service contracts, car allowance, electricity, police safety equipment and supplies and autopsies have forced us to reduce other areas of the budget in order to comply with these administrative restrictions. We have reduced our overtime budget by 30 percent from the current year's $1,266,980 to $892,041. As of January 31, 1997, we should have expended a projected 58 percent of our budgeted amount of overtime for this 1996-97 fiscal year, but in fact we have already expended $904,832, or 71 percent. It will be impossible to operate within the constraints of the proposed overtime budget. Since we are athree-shift, seven-day-a-week, twenty-four-hours-a-day operation and have contractual overtime and premium pay mandates, overtime occurrences are inevitable. Our estimated annual amount for holiday overtime pay alone is $887,138. This would leave only $12,403 for all other overtime occurrences, including overtime for vacancies, vacation and sick leaves and unanticipated natural disasters such as floods, eruptions, humcanes and wind storms. After these funds are expended, all SHOPO Unit 12 overtime will have to be logged as compensatory time. This will create a huge liability for the County because much of the compensatory time balances will eventually have to be paid off, possibly at a higher conversion rate. Additionally the HGEA contract mandates the payment of cash, if the employee so elects, for all overtime incurred. Our requests for equipment are minimal but essential. Because of a change in Federal Communications Commission policy, we will soon have to compete with private industry to 3