Modesto Regional Fire Authority Officials recently announced they have taken measures necessary to cut back on excessive overtime pay. Auditors recently found the new fire department, which was formed as a merger between the Stanislaus County Fire Warden's office and the Salida fire district just over a year ago, had racked up staggering overage totals.

Between July 2011 and June 2012, the regional authority exceeded its overtime budget by $776,000, and paid $250,000 in premium pay rates during one month alone, the report found.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guarantees covered employees receive time-and-a-half rates for any hours they work in excess of 40 during a single pay period. This is the case with firefighters and other first responders.

Excessive overtime pay has been a problem in Modesto before, following budget cuts that left departments short staffed and resulted in $1.9 million payroll overage. However, the city now says it has filled the positions necessary to reduce those costs.

If cities are regularly exceeding their payroll budgets, they might consider installing a timeclock in place of handwritten timesheets or implementing an advanced timekeeping system that will alert officials of overtime accrual.

---

All data and information provided on this news blog is for informational purposes only. Infinisource makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. Information regarding employment suits and other legal action is not updated after publication, and may not be current.