ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä City Council unanimously passes $111M budget, updates given on police overtime

Overtime discussion

Discussion on the budget was quick at Monday’s meeting. Ward 7 Councilwoman Beth Kerns commented on the police overtime that was mentioned in the city’s most recent audit by Suttle and Stalnaker.

In part, the audit said:

“We noted certain employees who appeared to be paid overtime amounts that seem excessive to the general public even though the internal control process regarding the use of timecards and supervisory approvals is being followed. In order to remain accountable to its citizens and the general public the City updated its overtime policies effective July 24, 2023 to require additional documentation over certain thresholds. We recommend that the City follow this updated policy and continue to explore opportunities to enhance policies and internal controls for increased transparency and accountability.�

Finance Director Andy Wood replied to Kerns that, although police compensation has increased, the budget for police overtime is still $2.6 million — the same as last year. This represents a decrease of 1,300 hours expected to be worked, due, in part, to the new policies, he said. Overtime is already decreasing, year-over-year.

As an example of her overtime concern, Kerns shared that a police employee told her that they clocked in four hours for taking a phone call. Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said that the conduct was correct, under the old policy.

New overtime policy

Under the new policy, which was obtained by the Gazette-Mail, overtime is billed for the actual time worked, except for three specific circumstances. When police employees:

• Are called in to work during their off-time, they receive a minimum of four hours of overtime
• Work special events hosted by the city, they receive a minimum of four hours of overtime
• Appear in court outside of their regularly scheduled hours, they receive a minimum of two hours of overtime

Employees who exceed 16 hours of work in a 24-hour period must fill out an excess-overtime form that requires the police chief’s approval.

Questions on the budget

In the two weeks since the budget was initially presented, council members asked 30-40 questions, Goodwin said.

Wood said common questions from council members were what gets paid from different accounts and from where projects like the Capital Sports Center are funded.

In an email to all council members, Goodwin wrote that the $10 million already put into the sports center by the city and Kanawha County should cover the expenses for this calendar year. Involved parties still need to determine how the project will be funded, she wrote.