The city doled out $1.9 billion in overtš ime pay last year, up 4.3 perceą± nt from the year before, new data show.
OT made up 10 to 23 percent of the payroll of many city agencies, according to an analysis by theš Empire Center for Public Policy, a government watchdog.
āWhen overtime is 20 percent, or even 10 percent of total pay, thatās certainly alarming,ā said the groupās executive director, Tim Hoefer. āBudgeting for some overtime is proper financial management, bšut as these numbers continue to climb, itās more important that we scrutinize those management practices.ā
The Board of Elections, which, unlike uniformed agencies, does not respond to šemergencies, paid $8.9 million in OT in fiscal year 2017, or 21 percent of its payroll.
That percentage was second only to the Correction Depaārtmentās 23 percent in OT, or $278 million, for workers in city jails.
The FDNY was third with 19 percent, or $345.5 mį¦illāion, in OT.
The NYPD shelled out the most OT ā $767 million ā but the sum represšented a smaller chunk of its payroll, 14 perceź¦nt.
A spokesman said that figure includes retroactive OT duešŖ under unšion agreements, and that last yearās OT total was $581 million.
Of that, President Trumpās security accounted for $26 million. The city is seeking feź§deral reimbursement.
The Department of Trāansportation paid $65.4 mišllion in overtime, also 14 percent.
The city launched an investigation into the DOT last year after 32 of its employees collected more than $100,000 each in OT in fiscal 2015. One of them, David Russell, then a supervisor of hiš”ghway repairers with a $82,000 base salary, took home $274,3š52.
But Russell made only $109,500 last fiscal yeaār. The DOT said he was demoted to highway repairer and stripped of supervisory duties.
āDOT monitors overtime throughout the year and continues to implement reductive measures,ā said spokesman Są½§cott Gastel.
Maintenance workers haą·“ve cashed in at the Housing Authority, which spent $88 million in OT, or 12 percent oź§f payroll.
āWeāre only able to operate without overtime between 8 a.m. and ź§4:30 p.m.,ā said spokeswoman Zodet Negron. āWe pay a pāremium for work outside those hours to respond to emergencies.ā
The Sanitation Department, whišch paid $131.4 million in OT, 14 percent of payroll, blamed Mother šNature, citing 13 snow alerts.
āThe department incurred extensive overtime this winter as our wšorkers fought snow and ice storms ā and the eventual challenge of catching up with the tens of thousands of tons of trash and recycling that went uncošllected,ā said spokesman Vito Turso.
The Departmenšt of Citywide Administrative Services spent $27 millź¦ion in OT, or 15 percent of payroll. A spokeswoman said āovertime is essentialā to keep the DCASās 55 buildings running 24/7.