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    • Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Overtime Pay in 2024
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    Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Overtime Pay in 2024

    Umito Posted on

    LIVINGSTON COUNTY — In 2024, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office exceeded its overtime budget by $661,634.

    A resolution approving the additional funds was passed by the Livingston County Council on Monday, October 28. Submitted documents cite personnel, training, SWAT calls, dive team calls, contract changes and major crime assistance.

    Of that appropriation, $494,000 will be for correctional officers inside the Livingston County Jail and $167,634 will be for field services. The move left the county’s contingency fund at about $80,000.

    According to Murphy, this request is not unprecedented.

    “It happens every year,” he told the Daily. “The county is very conservative in its budgeting, right? So they say, “Hey, we’ll give you X, we’ll put some money aside for emergencies and, you know, I hope you can make this work.” Otherwise, we will make a budget amendment later.

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    But these amendments are not always made through a resolution. According to County Administrator Nathan Burd, LCSO “can transfer funds between line items in its budget and has done so when necessary to provide additional (overtime) funding.”

    According to Burd, total overtime budget increases over the past three years – including changes and transfers within the department – ​​were $657,689 in 2023, $557,248 in 2022 and $156,008 in 2021.

    The initial projected amount for overtime in 2024 was $338,635. With the $661,634 appropriation, LCSO is on pace to spend more than $1 million in overtime, which Murphy said is comparable to previous years.

    According to Burd, LCSO’s current revised budget is $26,242,010.

    Why is overtime so expensive? Partly because of the payroll system. MPs work twelve-hour shifts over a two-week pay period, but their overtime is measured per shift.

    “If they’re working an accident, they can’t just leave the car in the middle of the road and say, ‘Well, I have to go back to the office because I’m off duty,'” Murphy said. “They have to continue what they’re doing, so they would benefit from an extra hour based on that scenario.”

    According to Murphy, the first four hours of overtime are paid at regular wage. But after four hours, it increases to an hour and a half. Being summoned to court or working an unscheduled shift is also time and a half pay, except on public holidays when it is double time and a half pay. The risk premium is also taken from the overtime budget.

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    Murphy said overtime has increased “significantly” since 2019, primarily due to these changes in pay structure.

    Even though the overtime budget has been over budget for several years, Murphy said it is cheaper for the department to pay overtime than to hire additional staff, which would cost about $150,000 per officer.

    — Contact journalist Tess Ware at [email protected].

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