In the aftermath of last year’s hurricanes there were many tales of government waste, bogus claims and inefficient procedures. Miami and Dade County supposedly received millions in questionable funds and stories of unwarranted payouts for generators, building supplies and spoiled food made the rounds of the Treasure Coast. There were reports that governments and insurance companies stonewalled legitimate claims while others actually made money with inflated demands.

Inequities and inefficiencies are expected when normal checks and balances are by-passed as government agencies attempt to respond as quickly as possible. We have complimented local governments for their fast action and effective leadership, but we are also looking for ways to better spend taxes so we can be more efficient next time.

For example, we reviewed County overtime reports for the two pay periods involving the storms - September 5 th to October 2 nd 2004. We learned that in less than a month almost 56,700 hours of overtime was claimed for a total cost of over $2.2 million dollars, much of that amount paid to salaried supervisory personnel normally exempt from overtime pay. Also, these figures are only for the County Administrator’s staff and do not included overtime paid by the Sheriff’s department and other Constitutional Officers.

We have no problem with hourly workers being paid for overtime while responding to emergencies and assisting our residents. We do not expect exempt managers with excellent salaries and benefits to be the ones receiving the most compensation.

Among managers and department heads not eligible for normal overtime (OT) at least 15 were paid more than $8,000 of OT in less than one month, while pulling down a salary equivalent of more than $80,000 per year. Among senior managers, a half dozen individuals already earning over $100,000 yearly received $12,000 to $18,000 of OT during the 4-week period.

Further, the example set by senior management was not lost on the staff. In one emergency management division 13 people logged over 2,600 hours of OT in two weeks. Including the normal 40-hour workweek they logged an incredible 20+ hours per day of compensation for 14 days straight and $100,000 total OT for the two pay periods.

Another individual was paid for what appears to be more than 24 hours a day for two weeks; and one family brought in almost $25,000 dollars of OT in four weeks.

Sometimes perception and attitude are more important than legality. Someone in the County decided Uncle Sam would cover whatever was paid out. In case of emergency, the County Human Resources Manual allows salaried employees either comp time or overtime at the County Manager’s discretion. Our review indicates rampant abuse of OT and no comp time awarded. FEMA is balking at reimbursing the County for OT and County taxpayers may be stuck with much of the bill.

We suggest the County Commission set a clear OT policy that puts the fiscal effort where it does the most good. We will report further on the OT situation, and other fiscal problems the County is encountering as a result of the hurricanes, in coming articles.

Two Florida counties, Collier and Sarasota, have implemented changes to their comprehensive plans to accomplish large-scale land conservation by clustering density into villages.  This might be one way to solve both the proliferation of ranchettes and the need for large natural water storage areas in Martin County.  Mr. Tim Jackson is a major architect of the Sarasota Plan and has agreed to serve as the keynote speaker at the MCTA 2005 Annual Dinner Thursday, March 31 at 6:00 at the Yacht and Country Club in Stuart. Mr. Jackson currently serves as president of the 1000 Friends of Florida, a private not-for-profit group that has been advocating smart growth throughout the state since 1986. Tim is also president of Glatting, Jackson, Kercher, Anglin, Lopez and Rinehard, Inc., a community planning consulting firm which provides services to public and private clients throughout the nation in areas of planning, urban design, landscape architecture, transportation, and environmental science. Please plan to be a part of this informative presentation. Reservations are required and forms are available on our website or by requesting a form via our email address.