The vast majority of the $57.8 million in overtime paid to city of San Diego employees in Fiscal Year 2011 was appropriately earned, but the city could still save some money on the expense, according to a city auditor's report released today.
About $250,000 of the payments was the result of employees incorrectly submitting comp time or annual leave in their overtime request forms, according to city Auditor Eduardo Luna.
He recommended that the city clarify its overtime eligibility rules, train employees on the regulations and rework its overtime request forms. City officials agreed with the recommendations in general, but noted that some departments used customized forms based on their needs.
The city's overtime expenditure in FY2011 was 2.6 percent of the city's $2.2 billion operating budget and made up 8 percent of all employee compensation. His report found that the police, fire-rescue and public utilities departments accounted for 85 percent of all overtime payments.
The city pays time-and-a-half for extra hours worked, based on personnel laws and union agreements.
