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Officials have long claimed extra personnel would lessen overtime.
Luzerne County prison officials argued for years that adding more staff would reduce overtime, but they still haven’t delivered on the promise.
The facility racked up $872,046 in overtime last year – $196,046 over the budgeted allotment.
That’s more than half of the $1.4 million spent on overtime last year in all 50 or so county departments.
The promises to reduce overtime began in 2004, when prison Warden Gene Fischi predicted the hiring of more corrections officers would hold overtime to $450,000 the following year.
The prison ended up spending about $778,000 on overtime in 2005. Overtime spending decreased to $577,838 in 2006 but went up again last year.
The prison’s workforce is up as well. The prison employs 207 corrections officers, compared to 200 in 2006. It also employs 57 second-level corrections officers – 22 more than in 2006.
The current statistics include 15 officers who are out on workers’ compensation or family/medical leave, Fischi said.
This year, commissioners have cracked down and reduced the prison overtime budget to $676,000.
Fischi had asked for $1 million this year, but county officials argued the expansion and upgrading of the minimal offender’s building was supposed to reduce overcrowding, which contributes to overtime.
The facility has spent $369,610 on overtime this year to date – $122,472 over projections.
Fischi blames much of the overtime on the need for staff to transport inmates to facilities outside the area due to overcrowding.
However, he sees promise. The minimal offender’s building has been absorbing more inmates, meaning fewer have to be housed outside the county, Fischi said.
As of last week, four inmates were housed outside the county, Fischi said.
In comparison, a record 141 inmates were sent to other counties last October.
Fischi said overtime went from $40,089 in the two-week March 28 pay period to $22,700 in the April 25 period.
“We’re working our way down. This is starting to work,” Fischi said.
Of the $1.4 million spent on overtime countywide last year, the second-highest expense was on road and bridge work — $146,711.
COUNTY OVERTIME
Here’s a breakdown of Luzerne County overtime expenses by department:
Prison $872,046
Road & Bridge $146,711
Sheriff $93,383
Security $70,993
Elections $15,367
Commissioners/administration $9,684
Information technology $19,806
Building and grounds $26,248
Emergency management/911, $24,278
Levee $13,984
Recreation $4,347
Moon Lake Park $5,866
Environmental special projects, $4,037
District attorney $69,213
Coroner’s $4,350
Prothonotary $11,937