Post by Logan on Jul 4, 2016 5:07:09 GMT -6
N.H. Corrections Dept. seeks $500,000 upgrade to track rising overtime cost
As overtime costs to guard the state prisons continue to climb, corrections officials say they can’t accurately track how the money is spent or what is driving the increase.
“I can’t even get an accurate idea of where my overtime is, what it’s being associated with, or where in the prison system it’s occurring,” Department of Corrections Commissioner William Wrenn said recently before a panel of lawmakers, gubernatorial staff and state officials. “We end up spinning our wheels trying to track every single dollar.”
The Department of Corrections is seeking $500,000 in the state’s next capital budget to upgrade its scheduling software, among other things, which will better track overtime spending, Wrenn said.
Currently, prison staffing schedules are written out by hand and corrections officers submit paper time cards. The payroll information is then put into a statewide system. But it’s difficult to look back at why overtime was used on a specific occasion, Wrenn said, because the system doesn’t identify that detail. Anything from sick leave to job vacancies can prompt the use of overtime hours. Identifying the reason now involves consulting the paper records.
Read more: www.concordmonitor.com/NH-Corrections-Department-overtime-costs-can-t-be-tracked-3142158
As overtime costs to guard the state prisons continue to climb, corrections officials say they can’t accurately track how the money is spent or what is driving the increase.
“I can’t even get an accurate idea of where my overtime is, what it’s being associated with, or where in the prison system it’s occurring,” Department of Corrections Commissioner William Wrenn said recently before a panel of lawmakers, gubernatorial staff and state officials. “We end up spinning our wheels trying to track every single dollar.”
The Department of Corrections is seeking $500,000 in the state’s next capital budget to upgrade its scheduling software, among other things, which will better track overtime spending, Wrenn said.
Currently, prison staffing schedules are written out by hand and corrections officers submit paper time cards. The payroll information is then put into a statewide system. But it’s difficult to look back at why overtime was used on a specific occasion, Wrenn said, because the system doesn’t identify that detail. Anything from sick leave to job vacancies can prompt the use of overtime hours. Identifying the reason now involves consulting the paper records.
Read more: www.concordmonitor.com/NH-Corrections-Department-overtime-costs-can-t-be-tracked-3142158