Maverick County Sheriff’s Office Overtime Report Reveals High Costs and Concentration Among Few Individuals

In a recent Maverick County Commissioner Court meeting, the County Auditor presented an overtime report detailing significant overtime costs within the Sheriff’s Office and County Jail. The report highlighted concerns over the disproportionate accumulation of overtime hours among a few individuals. The Maverick County Auditor read the report out loud for Maverick County Commissioners Court.

The report showed that from October 1, 2023, through April 15, 2024, the Sheriff’s Department had already paid 79% of the prior year’s overtime expenses. At this pace, the department is projected to spend approximately $214,400 in overtime by the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2024. This figure is significantly higher than the $147,442 spent in fiscal year 2023, equating to the cost of more than three full-time deputies with fringe benefits.

For fiscal year 2023, the top ten earners at the Sheriff’s Department accounted for 63% of the department’s total overtime hours, with one individual alone accumulating 14% of the total overtime at a cost of $24,212. The current fiscal year shows a similar trend, with the top earners already accumulating 37% of the department’s overtime hours.

In the County Jail, the highest overtime earner in fiscal year 2023 accumulated 28% of the department’s total overtime hours, costing $15,158. The trend continued in the current fiscal year, with the highest earners accumulating 49% of the department’s total overtime hours.

Sheriff Tom Schmerber, while addressing the report in the Commissioner Court, acknowledged the significant overtime costs and concentrated accumulation among a few individuals. He specifically mentioned that the top earner in the Sheriff’s Office was an investigator and supervisor. Sheriff Schmerber elaborated that this individual is the only investigator eligible for overtime because he is the sole supervisor for the investigators.

The auditor’s report concluded with the observation that the bulk of the overtime in both departments is concentrated among a few individuals, suggesting a need for better management and distribution of overtime hours.

The findings of this report underscore the ongoing challenges faced by the Maverick County Sheriff’s Office in managing its overtime expenses and highlight the need for improved oversight and equitable distribution of work hours among staff.

Source: The Maverick Times News