Editorial: Past the time to correct overtime

Officials looking to save the city money should start by looking at the Lima Fire Department. Three salaried administrators earned an extra 22 percent to 34.5 percent of their base pay last year with overtime hours.

City ordinance truly provides for the best of both worlds: Assistant fire chiefs get administrator pay, but they’re also collecting overtime pay.

Changing that ordinance will take determination from City Council members as well as the willingness of the Fire Department to admit its current structure is too burdensome on taxpayers. That’s no easy task, as the city administration learned seven years ago when it tried to make changes recommended by the Matrix consulting group. It called for staffing changes that, when combined with overtime and out-of-class pay savings, would have saved Lima at least $150,00 annually.

We have nothing against Assistant Fire Chiefs Eddie Hower, Gregory Kirkendall and David McDermitt. They’ve done nothing wrong. The city pay structure — this is outside of the firefighters union, as these positions are salaried administrators — is to blame. These three are just the ones benefiting from that structure right now.

Hower, Kirkendall and McDermitt all earned more than $100,000 last year, The Lima News reported in its annual salary project. More than three-fourths of their income was their base salaries. They all cashed in some vacation and holiday pay, as did Chief Mark Heffner. But each of the three assistant fire chiefs also took in between $16,403 and $26,424 in overtime.

McDermitt earned 15 percent of his pay last year with $16,403 in overtime, which amounts to 22 percent of his base salary of $74,500.

Hower earned almost 21 percent of his total pay with $23,012 in overtime. That was equal to 31 percent of his base salary of $74,500.

Kirkendall’s $26,424 in overtime accounted for 23 percent of his overall pay, and his overtime was equal to 34.5 percent of his base salary.

It’s the rare job that pays a base salary plus overtime to an administrator. The fact that this situation came to light only after The Lima News published its annual salary project speaks volumes.

It’s easy to understand the rationale. Their jobs are different. They’re always on call.

But the three Lima assistant fire chiefs also should show some understanding. They should understand the city has been cutting corners to balance its budget.

Most important is that members of City Council show the courage to address the Lima Fire Department overtime issue.