BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo's overtime spending costs taxpayers an average of $40 million a year and a new city comptroller's report finds that figure keeps rising regardless of staffing levels.
The report analyzed City Hall's payroll between fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2026, which ended June 30. It found nearly a quarter of the city's workforce earned $20,000 or more in overtime in the last fiscal year. Forty employees took home a whopping $100,000 or more in overtime earnings alone, compared to 12 employees making that amount in overtime earnings in 2022. That's a stark contrast to the median household income in the city which is a little over $52,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The findings prompted outcry from councilmembers in Tuesday's Finance Committee.
"I can't understand how someone can make $100,000 in overtime in a year," Councilmember Leah Halton-Pope said.
"If you're making that much overtime, how healthy are you on the job?" Councilmember Mitch Nowakowski asked.
University District representative Rasheed N.C. Wyatt told me the figures are "scary."
"The numbers continue to escalate and you gotta ask the question - there's a group of people who are benefiting from that, and it's not the majority of the people of the City of Buffalo," Wyatt said.
WATCH: Buffalo overtime costs keep climbing no matter the staffing level, report finds
The Police, Fire and Blue Collar Unions accounted for the vast majority of overtime pay in the last fiscal year, with police workers making up 38% of that total.
The report states overtime goes up whether staffing levels increase or decrease, suggesting staffing is not the cause of the rising costs. It also shows the number of overtime hours increases each year, inferring increased salaries are not driving the increased costs. That has prompted some councilmembers to call for further audits.
"We have to make sure that the police departments the fire departments are working efficiently," Wyatt said.
Halton-Pope called for a threshold for total overtime earnings that would trigger the city to examine an employee's overtime hours.
I asked the mayor's office for their thoughts on the comptroller's report. They said in part it "affirms our internal analysis showing no consistent inverse relationship between staffing levels and overtime costs."
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