Finance panel approves $350,000 transfer to cover police overtime; chief cites vacancies and new tracking software

The Holyoke City Finance Committee approved a transfer of $350,000 into the police overtime account to help the department manage staffing shortfalls and rising overtime costs.

Councilors voted to move $350,000 from patrolmen, sergeants and dispatch salary lines into overtime. The chief of the Holyoke Police Department told the committee the shift would “get us to 1.2 for the year” and help cover overtime pressures driven by vacancies, injured-on-duty officers and two full‑time military deployments.

The chief described several steps the department is taking: tighter overtime controls, a staffing-tracking software subscription to monitor overtime and staffing in real time, and an active recruiting push including civil-service hiring lists and lateral-transfer outreach. The chief said the software would be “phenomenal,” that “it'll save a ton of man hours” in payroll processing and allow staff to see “how much did you spend in overtime this weekend?” in real time.

During the discussion, Councilor Jordan asked how this year’s overtime forecast compared with last year; the chief said the department was “$100,000 ahead of where we were” at the same point last year. The chief also said current officer vacancies were “somewhere between 7 and 10, depending on what happens with pending disability retirements.”

Councilors raised concerns about collective-bargaining provisions that affect minimum manning and vacation scheduling. The chief said weeks off are selected by seniority under the current patrolmen contract and described contractual limits that allow multiple officers to be off simultaneously, increasing overtime when staffing is thin.

The committee approved the transfer by voice vote.

Votes at a glance: Committee approved the $350,000 transfer into police overtime by voice vote.