Sheriff Hunt discusses overtime budget with Commissioners

Adams County Sheriff John Hunt met with commissioners Wednesday, May 20, to discuss the overtime budget for the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

Hunt began with informing commissioners that as of the end of April, 56.1 percent of the set budget for overtime on the police force has been used. Chairman Roger Hartwig asked for explanation and a break down of overtime costs.

Hunt explained they are under a mandated collected bargain agreement, which mandates numerous daily operations that involve overtime pay. Call out or call backs, where an officer is off shift but gets called back in for a number of reasons, will be paid automatic two hours overtime.

Officers on standby will be paid $5 an hour and when called in, though the standby pay is paused, the officer is automatically paid two hours overtime. When he returns from duty, back to standby, the $5 pay continues.

Of course any training day requiring travel, even when on an officers regular pay, overtime must be issued to the driver for travel time.

Also within the collected bargain agreement, there are mandatory six, what are called, “red dot” days. Hunt said this simply means that these days cannot and will not be taken off by any officer as high staffing is needed for community safety.

These days include Wheat Land Communities’ Fair, Ritzville Rodeo and Lind Combine Derby with all scheduled officers receiving overtime.

Not included in the agreement but still equally important, Hunt explained to commissioners of overtime usage going toward Tactical Response Team (TRT). Two team members out of Moses Lake, which require so many hours per year of training, have training scheduled one day every month for 12 hours, including drive time.

Sheriff Hunt expressed an increase in overtime due to the complex laws of Washington state and the time it takes to properly complete and file paperwork. Search warrants take up a significant amount of time and have increased due to multiple warrants a week.

Should a court security issue arise, the officers must abide and could end in more than regularly scheduled hours requiring overtime.

Training, even if on a regular scheduled eight-hour day, the travel time is accounted for in overtime pay.

Sheriff Hunt touched briefly again on the special events, being the “red dot” days throughout the year, shift adjustments including sick leave and personal appointments.

Prisoner transport, with 80-85 percent moving between Ritzville and Othello also acquires a good amount of overtime for travel and exchange of prisoners.

The commissioners asked Hunt to provide a more broken down visual of overtime usage to better understand and see where the money is going and why the budget is over half accounted for in the first four months of the fiscal year.

Hunt agreed to prepare the breakdown in sections of used overtime to present to commissioners on Monday, June 8. Hunt stated over the last five years, the same issue has come up and in turn have used an average of $75,000 for overtime.

Hunt will prepare the breakdown for the commissioners and a decision to add an extra $35,000 to the current budget will be discussed.