‘Gross abuse:’ Jacksonville IG report finds solid waste employee got $120K of overtime in a year

One City of Jacksonville Division of Solid Waste employee made $120,000 in overtime in just one year, according to a new Inspector General’s report released Tuesday.

The report didn’t conclude that the employee and three others claimed more overtime than they worked, but it did have some recommendations for the Division of Solid Waste.

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The new Inspector General’s report reveals 15 city solid waste employees raked in more than $50,000 in overtime in one year.

The four employees at the center of the investigation collected anywhere from $16,000 to $120,000 in overtime.

Due to a union contract, solid waste employees make a full eight-hour wage for completing their four-hour shift, and any time worked beyond that is counted as overtime.

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Allegations the employees clocked more overtime than they worked were not substantiated by the report, but the report notes, “The majority of the Solid Waste Truck Driver Reports reviewed during these timeframes were typically incomplete or illegible, and rarely signed by a supervisor. Therefore, it would be impossible to verify the regular and overtime hours worked by many Solid Waste employees, not only the subjects of this investigation.”

At least one Jacksonville City Council member spoke out after reading the report.

“This is a gross abuse of the overtime system and directly hurts taxpayers,” Councilmember Rory Diamond (R-District 13) said.

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The report recommends the Division of Solid Waste identify positions likely to earn significant overtime and calls for the division to require supervisors to verify hours worked and maintain accurate records.

According to the mayor’s office, those fixes have already been made.

“Since those process improvements were implemented last fall, the department has seen an approximately 28% decrease in monthly overtime dollars,” Director of Strategic Initiatives & Liaison to the Press Melissa Ross said.

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