City wrestles over firefighter OT pay

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Indianapolis city-county councilors face a daunting task in 2010: trimming money from an already tight budget. That's because the city is due to collect far less in property tax revenue .

The Republican president of the city-county council has made some suggestions that anger colleagues in his own party. He wants to make cuts in the public safety budget . He's points to what he believes is government waste in the way firefighters are paid overtime.

A massive Monday morning fire engulfed an east side Texas Roadhouse restaurant leaving little more than rubble. And firefighters continued to fight flare-ups more than 24 hours after the flames began. Public safety leaders argue this is the reason firefighters cannot be scheduled for traditional eight-hour days. Instead, firefighters work a 24-hour day twice a week.

"Under federal law, any hours worked over a 24-hour period you have to pay overtime. So we have to build overtime in," said Mark Renner, the Indianapolis Deputy Director of Public Safety.

But that explanation doesn't suit City-County Council President and fellow Republican Bob Cockrum. He believes firefighters are given excessive overtime pay.

"They start getting overtime before they get in 40 hours a week. And that bothers me," said Cockrum.

"With all due respect to Councilman Cockrum, that is just wrong," argued Renner.

Renner explained firefighters are scheduled for 24-hour days because fires -- like the Texas Roadhouse blaze -- can take hours to fight. But two 24-hour work days means they work a 48 hour week. So-called "overtime" is built into the firefighter's base salary.

"We find that to be the most efficient way of staffing the fire department," said Renner.

He believes it’s also the most cost-effective way because a firefighter only collects overtime pay that exceeds his base salary if he is called to work on his day off.

That's the argument public safety leaders will make as councilors consider where budget cuts can be made.

We should soon learn exactly how much Indianapolis must cut from its budget. Then councilors will begin assessing budget priorities.

The council meets for the first time in 2010 on Monday, January 11.