City manager: Hiring cadets won't fix overtime problem in San Benito

SAN BENITO — The city wouldn’t cut down on overtime costs by hiring six cadets in the police and fire departments, City Manager Manuel Lara said Tuesday.

Lara has proposed eliminating the hire of four police cadets and two fire department cadets to try to offset a $420,000 deficit in a proposed $9.37 million general fund budget.

Fire Chief Severo Ochoa and Police Chief George Gomez said the hire of the cadets could cut down on overtime in their departments.

“In theory, it should cut down on overtime,” Ochoa said. “If someone calls in sick you should have enough personnel to cover them.”

Now, Lara said, he’s ordered an end to all overtime resulting from employees filling in for co-workers who call in sick.

The city will only approve overtime for emergency purposes such as fighting fires, Lara said.
Overtime costs have soared in the fire department made up of 26 firefighters, climbing from $158,891 last year to $176,504 so far this year, said Susan Crabtree, the city’s finance
director. Each year, the city budgeted $100,000 for overtime, she said.

“The system has been abused,” Lara said.

In the police department staffed by 46 officers, overtime costs have reached $67,823 this year, down from $85,010 last year, she said. Each year, the city budgeted $85,000 for overtime, she said.

Hiring the six cadets won’t cut overtime costs in the two departments, Lara said.

Former Public Safety Director Orlando Garcia’s move to hire more firefighters failed to cut down on overtime costs in the fire department, Lara said.

Instead, overtime costs climbed higher, Lara said.

“We’re not going to bring in additional staff,” Lara said. “We tried that before and it didn’t work” to cut overtime costs.

The police department starts its probationary officers at $29,523 salaries, while the city matches $2 for every $1 they pay toward their retirement funds, Crabtree said.

In the fire department, cadets earn salaries of $30,576 while the city pays $3,235 worth of health and life insurance along with 12 percent of their salaries as part a state retirement program, she said.

Lara said he’s called on department heads including Ochoa and Gomez to slash overtime costs.

“They learn to manage professionally or they’re going to be looking for a job,” Lara said. “We’re trying to run a professional business and have accountability. These are public funds and it’s our responsibility to manage them.”

Lara said he’s requested Ochoa crack down on some firefighters’ “abuse” of overtime.

Officials believe some firefighters have regularly called in sick while friends replaced them to
charge overtime, Lara said.

“It’s a very orchestrated plan,” Lara said. “You’ve got guys who call themselves firefighters who’ve been gone for one-third of their budgeted time.”

Officials believe some firefighters have used fraudulent doctors’ excuses to call in sick, Lara said.

“Someone calls in sick and we find them at their second job,” Lara said. “This game’s coming to an end.”

Lara declined to disclose the number of firefighters who officials believe may have been involved in a system of overtime abuse.