Kansas City, Mo. audit demonstrates increase in city overtime
Overtime payments in Kansas City, Mo. have grown significantly in the past few years. A city audit determined overtime-related costs in the city have risen 58 percent since 2010. The inquiry shows the city needs to ensure staff and salary cuts do not increase worker hours to an unsustainable degree, according to The Kansas City Star.
In 2010, the city spent $11.3 million on overtime pay. Throughout the fiscal year that ended in April, $17.8 million was paid out for costs related to overtime.
About one-third of the overall costs were attributed to the Fire Department, followed closely by water services, which accounted for 30 percent of the expenses. Collectively, these two departments, Aviation and Public Works made up about 86 percent of the total overtime spending.
Additionally, the audit found that one of the city divisions had incorrectly calculated overtime payments to the workers' benefit.
The auditor suggested the city periodically track overtime to ensure resources are being allocated appropriately. In addition, the investigator recommended better training and monitoring by department directors. In response, the city manager asked the finance and human resources departments to begin developing systems to evaluate data from monitoring.
To prevent payments for hours worked in excess of 40, workplaces can use attendance software to more carefully record employee time.
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