Compensatory time maximums may lead to payouts
A Louisiana parish is trying to determine how to deal with compensatory time accumulated by its employees.
A group of 23 public employees in Livingston Parish, La., have accumulated about 1,800 hours more than is allowed under current parish regulations, which cap comp time accruement at 160 hours per employee, according to local newspaper The Advocate.
Comp time can be paid to many public employees in place of overtime, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Comp time must be given at a rate of one-and-one-half hours per hour of overtime worked to qualify as a replacement for overtime pay.
The comp time excess is worth about $35,000, with slightly more than $10,000 of that money owed to just three employees in the parish clerk's office. The total value of all overtime held by parish employees is roughly $150,000.
The parish's finance director is concerned that comp time overages could lead to an audit finding for the local government, further complicating matters.
The addition of more employees could lighten the burden, although budgetary concerns are an issue. Better scheduling of existing staff through the use of employee management software will help schedule current workers and relieve Livingston Parish's financial woes.
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