Council weighs overtime trend lines, dispatch reclassification and a $100 shift differential

Staff presented a multi-pronged approach to staffing and overtime. The City Manager said the city changed a benefit that previously counted leave as 'hours worked' (a retention incentive) because overtime spending had grown unsustainably; staff reported FY figures (example: $220,524 in early FY'26) and estimated the long-term overtime level could reach prior peaks if unchecked. The manager recommended reclassifying a dispatch supervisor to telecommunications manager and creating a second senior telecommunicator to reduce floor-staffing drag; staff estimated a roughly $20,000 FY impact for the classification change.

The manager also proposed a $100-per-month shift differential for about 16 employees who regularly work nights (officers and dispatch), an addition projected at roughly $22,500 annually. "What we're proposing is to do a $100 per month per employee as opposed to doing a percentage of pay," the City Manager said, and councilors asked for comparisons and a staffing-based cost/benefit analysis. Council generally signaled openness to the dispatch reclassification and asked staff to return with detailed overtime trend lines, department breakdowns and the net FY'27 budget impact before final adoption.