Overtime-plank

category:Platform_Planks_from_Mark_Rauterkus
* The use of overtime, as a standard policy practice for duty work, is out of hand in the city among many departments. With better hiring, management and oversight among the budget, we can do better.
* When overtime is needed, reports need to be sent to the council. Otherwise, expenses should not mount to the tune of millions of dollars, as was the case in 2005 with police and firefighters and the necessary switch of budget amounts.
* Be more proactive with setting policy. 
* Allow for more projects to occur on a phase in, over the course of seasons or years. 
* Be honest and direct about hiring, not in denial. The firefighters knew that they were going to be short of manpower for months. The administration didn't do anything about it. The budget supervisors, city council, didn't do anything about it. The problems lingered and a $3-million budget adustment was needed in the final weeks of the year.
* Allow for more temp workers to be hired into the system when emergency projects occur. This will impact upon the union contracts. However, displaced workers, workers on leaves, and others who have perhaps already retired could join the ranks for shorter periords giving the workforce more flexibility.
==Links:==
* Margin of litigation has some overtime issues with police overtime and a court battle.