County staff warn FY26 overtime could reach $37M, driven largely by jail vacancies

County staff told the commissioners on Feb. 9 that overtime across the organization is tracking well above budget and that further analysis is required to identify and mitigate root causes.

A presentation showed an FY26 overtime appropriation of $24 million, year-to-date overtime actuals of roughly $14 million, and a projection that overtime could reach $37 million by year end. Staff said that projection represents a projected overage of roughly $13.1 million, or about a 154% increase over the appropriation in the modeling used.

Staff identified public-safety operations — particularly the jail — as the principal driver of the overtime increase and cited unusually high vacancy counts in detention staffing. County staff said vacancies, training pipeline timing (academy classes), and higher facility populations contributed to the pressure; staff said they will perform a deeper dive to identify specific drivers and potential mitigations such as scheduling changes and Telestaff rollout in juvenile services.

Because the overtime drivers are largely operational and staffing-related, staff proposed targeted follow-up: a more detailed review of vacancy timing, vetting and hiring-process constraints, and potential scheduling changes (including use of 12-hour shifts and an 86-hour work period subject to Department of Labor review for juvenile facilities). Staff cautioned that filling vacancies will reduce but not immediately eliminate overtime in the near term.

Next steps: staff will provide a deeper analysis of overtime drivers by division (public safety, general government), identify hiring-process improvements and potential equipment or scheduling investments, and return with costing and implementation recommendations.