02/29/2000 FINANCE COMMITTEE Minutes

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Finance CommittcrJFebruary 29,2000 7 196 Police Temporary mage This is for the four matrons. In addition,it includes wages for a Police Officer from Chatham who does same CPR and first aid instruction. 197 Police Overtime.FaSes Chief Przybylek stated that in Accounting,there is one line item for Overtime. However, what he Inas done over the last several years, in an effort to track overtime better and get better handle on it,is create categories overtime. Chiu'Przybylek noted that Overtime must be approved by the Officer's Supervisor. Chiu`Przybylek noted that by putting overtime into the categories over the last three years,they have gotten a better handle on it. Chief Przybylek commented that last year,they returned$40,000 back to the Town;however,they had no major catastrophes, Chief Przybylek stated that this year,however,they are in a different situation. For the fest tl a since 1996,he is going to submit a Special Town Meeting article because there is a possibility that the Overtime Account may run in deficit. He noted that the major remon for that is a mid-tern contract agreement between the sergeants Union and the Board of Selectmen which allows Sergeants a couch broader ability to cover vacant shifts of their colleagues. That is becoming expensive. In the past,they have used ars Acting Watch Commander. An Acting'Watch Commander is a patrol officer who has received additional training who is generally a senior person who would run the shift in the absence of a sergeant. Sergeants now have the ability that anytime a Sergent i scheduled for duty and does not work(sick leave,Fraction,personal leave),all the other Sergeants have the ability to take the shift,regardless of whether there is a etch Commander on or not, Chief Przybylek noted that you can divide the Overtime into three major categories Contractually Obligated Overtimc,Mission Essential Overtime,and Special Programa Overdone. Upon a question by Mr.Arden,Chief Przybylek described the categories of overtime. • Contractually Obligated Overtime is like what was just discussed with the Sergeants,sick leave replacement,or something along that line. • Mission Essential ve'rtirr is when an officer receives a Wl late in the shift and it is something where they have to ntinue to investigate that particular call. They cannot hand it off to someone else,they have to continue i themselves to conclude the investigation. It is essential to the mission. Another exapie is an arrest at the end of the shim. They do booking and arresting on duty;however~,if they have someone who is under west and has to be booked at the end of the ship the people who made the arrest continue that operation into overtime, It is essential to the mission that they do this because if they didn't,they couldn't prosecute the cases or carry forward with the District Attorney's Office. • The,special Program Overtime are the ones designed to support the community. Chief Przybylek noted that of the total Police Overtime Wages of$289,91 $88,000 was Contractually Obligated Overtime $155,500 Mission Essential Overtime $56,000 Programs Area Overtime.