Comment on Wilkes-Barre Mayor George says city trying to get a handle on OT costs

WILKES-BARRE — The city is trying to bring budget-busting overtime costs under control, Mayor Tony George said Friday. A combination of weather, emergencies, vacations and short staffs have pushed the expenses beyond their budgeted amounts, the mayor said, referring to the draft financial report for August that contains the line item entries for the various city departments. The overtime costs, if not checked, could further derail the city’s $47.1 million balanced budget that’s already affected by more than $1 million in unbudgeted expenses from the cleanup of the March blizzard. The Department of Public Works has the highest total of overtime and double time costs, a combined $52,614 for waste collection through the end of August, according to the draft report. The mayor said DPW workers have been busy doing everything from cleaning creeks, picking up yard waste, putting in longer hours to collect garbage so it won’t sit out overnight and taking care of problem properties flagged through the city’s Quality of Life ordinance.