Mississippi emergency workers' overtime running in the red
Emergency medical workers in Mississippi are costing the state thousands of dollars in overtime payments. While these workers are essential for the well-being of the city of Vicksburg, the inflated costs are causing the city to run a significant deficit.
With less than three months left until the 2013 fiscal year closes, overtime payment to police officers, firefighters and paramedics have run up to $632,176, a number that surpasses the total overtime wages paid during the entire 2012 fiscal calendar according to the Vicksburg CBS affiliate News Channel 12.
While the police department and paramedics are still running under their totals from last year, the fire department has exceeded last year's totals by $26,685, according to the Mississippi Business Journal. Mayor George Flaggs, Jr. raised concern over the amount of money being spent on overtime and cautioned that the city cannot afford to end the year in the red.
The city's fire chief, Charles Atkins, told the Journal the overtime costs arose due to firefighters being forced to cover absences brought on by illness, vacations and insufficient manpower. Vicksburg accounting department director Doug Whittington that explained unless the departments find an alternative source of funding to cover the budget shortfalls, the city will be forced to draw on reserves that were not allocated for the 2013 fiscal year. The situation highlights the need for more stringent time and attendance policies in government practices. Better employee tracking can save civil services from facing these difficult situations.
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