During the last two years, the City of Odessa has paid out more than $14 million in overtime with the vast majority of it going to Odessa Police Department and Odesssa Fire Rescue employees. Both agencies have been struggling to fill open positions.
According to records obtained under the Texas Public Information Act, OPD employees accounted for $3.6 million of the $6.5 million in overtime paid out in 2021 while OFR employees accounted for $1.6 million. In 2022, $7.9 million in overtime was paid out with OPD accounting for $4 million and OFR $2.2 million.
Multiple requests to meet with Interim City Manager Agapito Bernal, Mayor Javier Joven, OFR Interim Chief Jason Cotton and OPD Chief Mike Gerke did not yield results. Gerke said he needed permission from Bernal to speak with an Odessa American reporter. Parks and Recreation Director Steve Patton unexpectedly retired shortly after the request was made.
City Communications Director Monica McDaniel released a statement via text: “Public safety is of the upmost (sic) importance to the City of Odessa. While the entire community is strained for resources, we labor through these obstacles to serve our citizens. We are Odessa Strong!”
When asked to confirm no interviews would be scheduled, McDaniel replied, “They have been so swamped. They’re not going to be able to.”
While OPD’s overtime figures include animal control officers and dispatchers, most of the overtime went to patrol officers. According to records, the department is budgeted for 182 certified officers, but in 2021, 32 of those positions were unfilled and in 2022, 41 were unfilled.
Currently, OPD has 57 open police officer positions.
Last year, the city council voted 5-2 to provide more than $2 million in raises to Odessa’s emergency dispatchers, police personnel and OFR firefighters using American Rescue Plan Act money after it was revealed OFR had lost more than 70 employees over the last two years.
As a result of the vote, the department’s roughly 200 firefighters received 8 to 20% raises, depending on their position within the department. Dispatchers and police personnel are now being paid commiserate with the top 66% of their colleagues in peer cities.
It’s unclear if the raises have resulted in increased OFR applications. According to records obtained by the TPIA, the department received 49 applications in January and 34 in February, but the department received 28 and 29 applications in February and March of 2022 and 73 in April of 2022.
OFR hasn’t just lost firefighter/paramedics. Since last fall, all three assistant chiefs and OFR Chief John Alvarez have retired.
City officials were asked to explain the overtime, if employees were assigned or volunteered for overtime and if there are national standards for acceptable overtime hours. They were also asked how difficult it is to budget considering staffing shortages and if too much overtime could negatively impact first-responders.
TOP EARNERS
Two sergeants and a corporal made more money than Gerke’s 2021 annual salary of $149,307 and two sergeants came close to matching his $165,314 salary in 2022. In 2021, a fire captain made more than former OFR Chief John Alvarez’s salary of $150,395.
Overall, four firefighters and officers put in more than 2,000 hours of overtime in 2021-2022 and one wracked up nearly 3,400 hours in overtime.
First-responders aren’t the only ones who received significant overtime, however. In 2021, a parks and recreation employee recorded more than 1,300 hours in overtime and another employee in the same department wracked up 900 hours in OT.
In 2022, a third parks and recreation employee recorded more than 1,100 hours in OT and an animal control officer recorded just over 1,000 hours in overtime.
Joven has informed all department heads he wants to use zero-based budgeting this year, meaning he wants them to justify all expenses. He has said he wants to make sure all budgeted positions that haven’t been filled are truly needed.
The mayor hired T2 Professional Consulting for $338,000 in December after the council voted 5-2 to fire City Manager Michael Marrero and City Attorney Natasha Brooks without explanation.
In addition to helping the city find its next city manager, T2 has conducted an organizational assessment and is in the process of providing “executive coaching” and establishing “workflows promoting transparency and efficiencies throughout the organization.” The firm is also “assisting managers in creating a confidential system for addressing complaints.”
DIFFERENT NUMBERS
Last month, T2 representatives told the city council the city’s turnover rate has slowed down by quite a bit in the last two years. According to the consultants, 129 left the city in 2020, 41 left in 2021 and 49 left last year.
However, according to records obtained by the OA under the TPIA, 243 city employees left in 2020, 190 left in 2021 and 224 left in 2022.
Twenty-nine employees left during the first five weeks of this year, including Assistant City Manager Cindy Muncy and Director of Development Randy Brinlee, who both retired. Assistant City Manager Aaron Smith was fired last month.
At the time of their March 7 presentation, T2 noted one third of the city’s staff has less than three years with the city and 82 had more than 20 years with the city.
City of Odessa Top 10 Overtime recipients
2021
- James Marts, OFR 2,110.25 hours
- Raymundo Garcia, OFR, 1,454.50 hours
- Tyler Rodgers, OPD, 1,412.50 hours
- Ralph Mireles, Parks & Recreation 1,321.50 hours
- Gabriela Aguayo, OPD, 1,318.50 hours
- Terrey Brumbalow, OFR, 1,161.75 hours
- Nicholas Moore, OPD, 1,089 hours
- Jared Cronin, OFR, 1,020.50 hours
- Michael Lara, OPD, 948 hours
- David Torres, OFR, 944.50 hours
2022
- Joshua White, OFR, 1,470 hours
- Miguel Puente, OFR, 1,400.50 hours
- Tyler Rodgers, OPD, 1,347 hours
- James Marts, OFR, 1,262.50 hours
- Felipe Cobos, OPD, 1,206 hours
- Gabriela Aguayo, OPD, 1,203 hours
- Bailey Thurman, OPD, 1,183.80 hours
- Sergio Loya, Parks & Recreation, 1,158.25 hours
- Joe Galindo, OPD, 1,151.60 hours
- Blake Terry, OFR, 1,144 hours
