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City outlines overtime drivers across police, fire, public works and parks in budget workshop
Summary
Council heard department‑by‑department briefings explaining why overtime is used: police cited minimum staffing, training and court commitments; fire noted reimbursable OES deployments and paramedic staffing gaps; public works described 24/7 emergency response and weather impacts; parks said overtime is falling with improved staffing and scheduling.
The council held a level‑setting workshop on departmental overtime and heard detailed briefings from police, fire, public works and parks leaders about why overtime is used and how it is managed.
Police Chief MSAS explained that overtime is driven principally by minimum staffing needs for patrol, lengthy hiring and academy processes, court subpoenas and major incidents. "Our minimum staffing consists of two officers. When we are fully staffed, we have three officers per shift," the chief said, and noted that a recently budgeted $250,000 for overtime was exceeded in FY24–25 (actual about $325,000) but offset by salary savings from vacancy periods.
Fire leadership said their large FY24–25 overtime number reflected multiple out‑of‑area OES deployments that were largely reimbursed; the department also reported paramedic hiring challenges and periods of elevated leave that required overtime to maintain minimum emergency coverage.
Public works described overtime as a tool for a 24/7 infrastructure system responding to emergencies, weather‑related incidents and special events. Staff said preventive capital work and addressing deferred maintenance can reduce recurring overtime but that shift scheduling and small crew sizes limit some adjustments.
Parks and Recreation reported a downward trend in overtime use because of staffing stability and flexible scheduling for recurring weekend and community events; the department still relies on overtime to cover unplanned absences and to staff pools, holiday child care and co‑sponsored events.
Council members asked departments about burnout, recruitment, the accounting of standby pay versus call‑out overtime, and whether departments should adjust baseline overtime budgets to reflect higher labor costs. Several department leaders said they will monitor overtime closely and consider modest budget changes informed by the new data.
