OVERTIME AND COMPENSATORY TIME

2. Overtime Statistics by Department
OBSERVATION
In order to gain a better understanding of the departments and their overtime
costs, analysis was performed to determine total salaries, overtime (as restated)
and the percentage of overtime to total salaries. The five year averages for the
period 2004 through 2008 are scheduled below:
Avg. Salaries Avg. Overtime % Overtime to Salary
Gracedale 25,334,768 875,829 3.46%
Prison 10,093,140 1,513,684 15.00% ^^
Sheriff 2,205,201 64,259 2.91% **
All Other Depts. 34,427,238 476,587 1.38%
Totals $ 72,060,347 $ 2,930,359 4.07%
^^ The percentage of overtime to salaries was 13.31% for 2008 and 12.2% for year-to-date
9/30/09.
** The percentage of overtime to salaries was 4.09% for 2008 and 7.6% for year-to-date 9/30/09.
From this analysis, it can be seen that overtime in most departments is relatively
contained, including the largest round-the-clock operation at the County –
Gracedale. But, overtime costs in the Sheriff’s Department are rapidly on the rise
and the Prison overtime ranks the highest among all County departments.
Research was done with regard to overtime at other Prison facilities. For those
institutions that provided data for 2008, overtime as a percentage of total salaries
ranged between 7.0% and 9.5%. The Northampton County Prison overtime is
significantly higher than at other Prisons. Overtime at the Prison is mainly the
result of covering absences from leave time and weekend shifts which are
typically only at minimum staffing.
The Prison has made some progress in reducing overtime due to factors such as
staffing issues from sick leave by offering the no-sick stipend. This comes at a
price, however, and further analysis on the relationship of this stipend to overtime
would have to be performed to determine the overall impact on reducing
overtime. Many factors play a part in regard to staffing issues.
Overtime costs in the Sheriff’s Department are rapidly on the rise. This is an
area that could see the largest increase in overtime costs over the course of the
year. Provisions in the collective bargaining agreement and a shift in
responsibilities have contributed to the rise in overtime. Sheriff Deputies are now
required to cover inmate hospital visits; a job that was previously handled by the
Prison. In addition, the Deputy Sheriff Association collective bargaining
agreement (signed in August 2008, effective shortly thereafter, and expires in
2010) Article XI, Officer Safety, requires that “. . . all work assignments shall be
scheduled and performed by a minimum and constant staffing of two (2) sworn,
certified, Deputy Sheriffs at all times” except under limited low risk
circumstances. Another provision in the collective bargaining agreement that is
contributing to overtime costs is Article XXIX Hours of Work/Overtime, “Any
change in the work schedule with less than ten (10) calendar days notice which
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