Waste of the Day: Austin FD Breaks Overtime Pay Record
Topline: The City of Austin’s fire department spent an all-time high on overtime pay in 2024 after years of audits and supervision from the City Council designed to reduce the spending.
Key facts: The Austin Fire Department’s overtime spending has been in the headlines since a 2017 audit found the department did “not appear to have proactively implemented adequate cost saving measures” before spending $21 million on overtime that year.
In 2023, the City Council ordered the fire department not to spend more than $9.6 million on overtime, but the department warned the city in June that they were on track to spend $11.6 million because of staffing shortages.
In September 2023 firefighters received 4% pay raises. By the end of the year, the department had spent $17.1 million on overtime, according to payroll records obtained by OpenTheBooks.
In 2024, OpenTheBooks’ data shows the fire department spent a record $22.7 million on overtime.
Lieutenant Kier Nixon topped the list with $160,042 in overtime earnings, giving him a total pay of $299,088. Eight others earned at least $100,000 in overtime.
Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor payments with the world's largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com.
Supporting quote: The fire department told OpenTheBooks, “In 2023, AFD underwent a follow-up of the 2017 overtime audit. The 2023 audit included a review of the department’s overtime decision process and provided support for the finding that, “AFD manages and tracks overtime decisions to ensure cost effectiveness.
“In general, spending on overtime tends to increase as base salaries increase. AFD is currently partnering with City Management and the Budget Office to determine an appropriate overtime budget for FY2026."
Background: Though Austin’s fire department receives the most attention for its overtime spending, the police department spends even more. Last year the police accounted for only 14% of the city’s total payroll but 40% of its overtime spending.
There were 28 police officers who outearned Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s salary of $153,750 just in overtime alone. Detective Jesus Carillo took home $256,134 of overtime pay for a total salary of $336,605. He was the fourth-highest-paid person in the city.
In 2023, police officer Jovita Lopez outearned almost everyone in Austin, helped out by $254,106 in overtime pay. The only two people who outearned her left before the end of the year: Austin Energy General Manager Jacqueline Sargent and City Manager Spencer Cronk, who collected massive amounts in severance and retirement payments.
Summary: If the Austin Fire Department has spent eight years trying to reduce its overtime spending, one might expect the dollar total to decrease instead of increase.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
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