Controller: City OT Costs Down, Except For Fire Department
Check out this release we just got from the City Controller:
Controller: City OT Costs Down, Except For Fire Department
Catherine Lucey
Check out this release we just got from the City Controller:
Overall Overtime Costs Down 5%, Fire Dept.’s Still Up
City Controller’s economic report includes a look at the Fire Dept.’s $1.6 million increase in overtime halfway through the year
PHILADELPHIA – City Controller Alan Butkovitz today released his monthly economic report that shows the City’s overtime costs are down five percent, but the Fire Department’s overtime costs are $1.6 million more compared to this same period one year ago.
Halfway through the current FY2011 the Fire Department’s overtime payments totaled $10.5 million, compared to $8.9 million in the first half of FY2010. The Department’s overtime expenses for every month this year have exceeded costs from the same month in the prior year.
As a means to reduce the Fire Department’s overtime costs and save $3.8 million this year, Mayor Michael Nutter implemented a “brownout” measure to temporarily close certain fire stations on a rotating schedule. If the second half of the fiscal year mirrors the first half’s costs, overtime payments could reach $3.2 million above last year’s mark.
Overall city-wide overtime payments for the first half FY11 totaled $59.8 million compared to $62.6 million in the first half of FY10. Some of the departments with significant decreases include the Office of Supportive Housing, Public Property, Sheriff’s Office, Streets Department and the Police Department.
Along with a look at overtime costs, the Controller’s monthly economic report also highlights the city’s monthly tax revenues. The Wage/Earning/NPT tax collections for the month totaled $143.4 million, which is a 30 percent increase from December of last year. It is the highest monthly collection for this revenue stream since January 2008.
The Controller’s economic report is compiled on a monthly basis and includes an Economic Snapshot and Forecast, as well as real estate information and other local statistics. These reports are circulated every month to assist key decision makers in understanding and anticipating local and national economic trends. Both of these documents are a useful tool for policy makers and analysts in understanding our regional and local economy.
To view the Economic Forecast and Monthly Snapshot, please visit the City Controller’s Web site at www.philadelphiacontroller.org
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I wonder if the fire departments overtime is due to large numbers of firemen retiring and not being replaced? Sounds like someone dropped the ball.— hititwheretheyaint- I wonder how much of the OT is connected to Rescue squads? Sounds like the Controller is giving us the information but is not offering any solutions to this problem. As stated above cuts in manpower can only lead to more work by less workers=OT.— philtret25
Why does the controller need to offer solutions...seems like mayor mikey is doing a helluva job...- nutter and gillson are completely incompetent to let hundreds of firefighters retire and not replace any of them and then cry about overtime.— hititwheretheyaint
- With all the talk about the DROP and the lump sum payments being left with and abused by certain politicians. What about the management tool the DROP was suppose to be. Where is the accountability with the Fire Dept. they know 4 years in advance what there vacancies will look like because of the DROP. Total mismanagement and what is the answer sky rocketing overtime costs so lets reduce service and close stations and gamble with lives fire and ems.— Toilet
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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