The New Orleans city agency that manages the French Market spent nearly $75,000 in budget excesses in overtime pay in 2010, according to a report issued last week. This oversight violates civil service rules that dictate exactly how many overtime hours the market is allowed.

Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux's report indicates that while the French Market budgeted $175,000 for overtime pay, the company actually spent $249,263, which put the business above its established overtime spending limit by 42 percent. In addition to the superfluous use of overtime hours, the organization is charged with donating nearly $65,000 of city money to clubs and festivals, violating the state constitution.

As Interim Executive Director Patricia Henry noted in a reply to Quatrevaux's report, the company was well within its budget for salary expenses overall, despite the excessive overtime pay issued.

In a statement, French Market Executive Eirector Jon Smith said the overtime occurred while the agency attempted to manage staffing shortages. He also stated the company is committed to fixing the problems by reorganizing staff and maintaining full compliance with Civil Service overtime standards in the future.

Because misallocation of employee hours can quickly lead to overtime, utilizing efficient time and attendance software is an essential tool to ensure employees are not exceeding full-time hours.

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