OC Today-Dispaatch APRIL 12, 2024
STUBBORNLY LOCAL, EQUALLY INDEPENDENT
Sign up now for new daily newsletter to debut soon. — Page 8
PRICELESS
Sports complex gets its $500K Money in capital budget to be used for site evaluation After clearing the General Assembly, city can give serious consideration of location and potential design.— Page 12
3rd St. park named ... Your Community 3rd St. Park Schools spending PHOTO COURTESY DEBI PERSING
AWWWWW
What else can be said when a new foal makes its debut alongside mom at Assateague National Seashore? That’s the reaction the new colt evokes from park visitors when spotted in the bayside grasses. The colt was born April 5 to Johnny’s Star, according to seashore personnel.
gets 6-hour exam The Worcester County Commissioners grilled public school officials on their proposed $136 million spending plan Tuesday, with some asserting the system’s financial approach should be reimagined. —Page 73
IT’S ALL ABOUT EDUCATION Mount Airy resident Paul Hocheder, almost 90, has returned to college. His grandaughter Gabby Remington, Worcester’s Teacher of the Year for 2024, shared videos of his story online. As of last week, her TikTok views had hit the five million mark. — Page 36
City Council votes 4-3 to call it what some refer to now Although other names were proposed, majority recognizes people will stick with what they know. — Page 8
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OC Today-Dispatch
APRIL 12, 2024
APRIL 12, 2024
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OC Today-Dispatch
Public works head defends higher overtime expenses Workforce reduction from 202 to 191 led to longer hours for dept. employees By Bethany Hooper Associate Editor (April 12, 2024) Discussions on overtime costs continued this week during a budget presentation from the town’s public works department. Public Works Director Hal Adkins told the Mayor and Council Monday that overtime costs across all public works divisions totaled more than $811,000 last year. He noted, however, that the department was doing more work with less people. “Yes, we do $811,000 in overtime,” he told the council. “But if you look at it individually by department, it’s not that great of a number.” The cost of overtime across town departments has highlighted this year’s budget deliberations. Last week, for example, the council spent a majority of a Friday work session delving deeper into the causes of overtime within the Ocean City fire and police departments. Adkins told the council on Monday use of overtime within the public works department fell into three categories – scheduled overtime, special events and staffing shortages. In a spreadsheet given to the council, the solid waste, maintenance and transportation divisions utilized the most overtime hours. “In some cases it is scheduled,” he said. “Use the maintenance department as an example, Tom Dye’s guys in the summer months … Those same guys working Monday through Friday, 6:00 to 2:30, come in on Saturday, come in on Sunday, they work from 6:00 a.m. to about 10. So part of it is in fact scheduled overtime.” Adkins said town events are also a large driver of scheduled overtime hours. He highlighted the success of the recent St. Patrick’s parade, which generated overtime within the solid waste division. “It was unbelievable weather, a great parade that then triggers great use of hotels, restaurants and bars and having to schedule additional trucks on Saturdays and Sundays to meet the need.” Officials also highlighted staffing shortages within public works divisions. Adkins noted that in one instance last year, a comfort station attendant worked 100 hours a week. “We’re not exaggerating,” he said. “That’s just what it took.”
In his review of overtime hours, Adkins told the council that the number of workers within public works has decreased. He said full-time employment has dropped from 202 in fiscal year 1987 to 191 in fiscal year 2023. “We have tried our best to work more efficiently through technology such as the big trash truck on the beach versus the way we used to operate,” he said. “We faced a reduction in our workforce back in 2008 and a large portion of what was the construction department retired and we never replaced them. We ended up having to outsource a lot of our construction activities.We chose to move away from traditional recycling and into wastestream energy with Covanta. There was a major staff reduction at that time.” For his part, Councilman John Gehrig said he wanted to see how overtime costs were offset by hiring more full-time employees. He also shared his concerns about the number of hours worked by an attendant at the comfort station. “I certainly appreciate the effort,” he said. “We have just an unbelievably great team and staff. But 100 hours a week? Hopefully that’s a one off.”
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