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Comptroller projects $140M in city overtime; committee probes MTA, police and comp-time accounting
Summary
The comptroller presented a combined monthly/biannual overtime report projecting roughly $140 million in citywide overtime and identifying five departments responsible for 87% of overtime; supervisors pressed departments on comp-time payouts, one-off high-hour cases and implications of a proposed 37.5-hour workweek.
The Budget & Finance Committee received a combined monthly and biannual overtime report from the Controller's Office that projects citywide overtime near $140 million for the fiscal year and shows the Municipal Transportation Agency, Fire, Police, Public Health and Sheriff's Office account for about 87% of overtime hours.
Monique Zmuda of the controller's office told supervisors the projection reflects six months of data and is about $16.8 million over the budgeted overtime level, though it is slightly below last year's real-dollar level. The report also flagged 46 employees who exceeded a 30% overtime cap (about 640 hours) and described an administrative-waiver process for certain public-safety classifications.
Supervisors pressed departments on drivers and accounting. Police representatives said straight-line projections are inflated by one-time comp-time payouts (nearly $2 million in the reporting period) and that recent pay periods show overtime trending down after management controls and midyear reduction plans. The MTA's overtime is roughly on budget at $48.3 million projected versus a $48 million budget, but the MTA's midyear reduction measures had not fully taken effect and an audit of the agency will examine overtime drivers.
Supervisors also asked about a single employee showing more than 1,000 overtime hours year-to-date; the controller's office said exemptions and specialty assignments explain some cases but agreed to follow up with details. The committee scheduled follow-up reporting and a hearing next week on the mayor's proposed 37.5-hour workweek to examine whether that change could increase overtime or comp-time payouts in some job classes.
Public commenters urged continued oversight and questioned whether the public gets value for overtime spending. The committee continued the item for follow-up and directed staff to provide additional breakdowns, including comp-time balances by classification and updated MTA data.
