Overtime adds up for many Green Bay city employees
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7:07 PM, Sep 1, 2012
by Scott Cooper Williams

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120902/GPG0101/309020184/Overtime-adds-up-many-Green-Bay-city-employees-


City overtime budget: 2012

   o Police: $1,229,560
   o Fire: $590,090
   o Public Works: $400,000
   o Other: $122,210
   o Total: $2,341,860

   For  many  people,  $30,000 is a full years salary. For some Green Bay
   city employees, it is just their overtime pay.

   At  a time when the city is targeting overtime pay as a way of helping
   to  eliminate  a  $700,000 budget deficit, some in city government say
   overtime is a necessity to maintain essential services.

   City  records  show  that  six employees last year collected more than
   $20,000  in  overtime,  including  two  who added more than $30,000 to
   their pay.

   The  biggest  overtime  earner was Danny Truckey, a battalion chief in
   the  fire department. Overtime pay boosted Truckeys salary by $33,000,
   from $78,654 to $112,198.

   Truckey  declined  to  comment, but Interim Fire Chief Mike Nieft said
   Truckey  handles  a  lot  of  firefighter  training  and took on added
   responsibilities  last  year  when  another  training officer resigned
   unexpectedly.  Because  firefighters  work  different  shifts, Truckey
   often must juggle his schedule to accommodate them, Nieft said.

   He earns the money, the chief said. He deserves it.

   Mayor  Jim  Schmitt,  however,  said  the fact that some employees can
   accumulate  thousands  of  dollars in overtime points to a need to get
   those  costs  under control. Schmitt said he is convinced the city can
   save money by adjusting work schedules, planning training differently,
   or taking other steps.

   We have to manage this better, he said.

   The city spent $2.2 million on employee overtime in 2011 mostly in the
   police  and  fire  departments  and  budgeted $2.3 million for it this
   year. About one-fourth comes from the Green Bay Packers, who reimburse
   the  city  for  providing  police  and fire protection during games at
   Lambeau Field.

   Police  employees  account  for  most  of  the  top overtime salaries,
   including  police  officer  Michael  Francois,  who collected $30,000,
   increasing  his  earnings  in  2011  from $66,692 to $97,361. Francois
   could not be reached for comment.

   Acting  Police  Chief  Paul Molitor said Francois logged many overtime
   hours  doing  security  at  Packers games. Other big overtime salaries
   involve  officers who performed such special duties as drunken driving
   crackdowns and security at school football games, Molitor said.

   Until  recently,  the  citys  contract  with union police officers set
   minimum staffing levels that drove up overtime costs, Molitor said. In
   negotiations  with  the  union  this summer, the city has succeeded in
   lowering those staffing levels and relaxing other rules.

   Molitor said some officers in 2011 were able to accumulate significant
   overtime pay under the old system.

   It was an overtime mill, he said. But those things are corrected now.

   City  officials  took  aim at employee overtime costs across the board
   earlier  this  year  because of a $700,000 budget deficit. The deficit
   has  been  blamed largely on the police unions unwillingness to accept
   higher pension costs in a new collective bargaining deal.

   Schmitt  has  estimated  that the city could save $200,000 to $300,000
   under his plan to curtail overtime not needed for an emergency.

   After  the firefighters union objected to the mayors crackdown because
   it would affect minimum staffing levels in the fire stations, aldermen
   took  steps  to find other solutions to the budget deficit. Although a
   deficit strategy has yet to emerge, Schmitt said he remains optimistic
   about reining in overtime costs.

   Theres  got  to  be  a better system, he said. Were looking at it very
   seriously.

   Most  city  overtime  is paid at a time-and-a-half rate, although some
   employees can earn double time.

   Four of the citys top overtime earners in 2011 were bus drivers in the
   Green  Bay  Metro transit system. One of them, Robert Simon, collected
   $19,000 in overtime, boosting his yearly pay from $43,805 to $62,812.

   Transit  Director  Tom  Wittig  said the bus system which is funded by
   other  municipalities  in  addition  to  Green  Bay  has  paid drivers
   overtime  to work on Packers game days, shuttling football fans to and
   from Lambeau Field on routes that were introduced last year.

   Wittig  said  other  overtime  is needed to cover routes where drivers
   have  retired  or  called  in sick. The bus system cannot leave riders
   stranded just because a driver becomes unavailable, Wittig said.

   Youve  got to have a driver in the seat, he said. Its true they have a
   lot of opportunity to make money. But they bust their butts doing it.


Green Bay Police Who Collected the Most Overtime Pay in 2011:

                          Overtime   Base Salary      Total
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Francois          $30,669    $66,692          $97,361
Capt. Richard Demro       $25,873    $76,915          $102,788
Randall Laluzerne         $22,182    $65,314          $87,497
Rodney Dubois             $20,835    $66,273          $87,109
Michael Wanta             $20,455    $66,273          $86,729
Capt. Joseph Deuster      $19,541    $76,915          $96,456
Douglas Wichman           $18,798    $65,314          $84,112
David Vanerem             $18,215    $66,347          $84,563
Lt. John Laux             $17,761    $70,750          $88,512
Scott Peters              $17,717    $66,273          $83,991
Capt. Paul Allen Ebel     $17,059    $74,685          $91,745
Kevin Kempf               $16,823    $62,158          $78,981
Gerald Young              $16,260    $61,004          $77,264
Daniel Yantes             $15,146    $66,347          $81,494