Overtime Costs Rising As Phila. Beefs Up Construction Inspections
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia's City Controller has criticized the Department of Licenses and Inspections for high overtime costs. City officials say that's what it takes to keep building sites safe.
Controller Alan Butkovitz says overtime costs at L&I increased nearly 60-percent from 2013 to 2014. That was the year the city created the Construction Site Task Force, in response to the fatal building collapse at 22nd and Market Streets.
"They amassed $171,000 in that small unit with the top overtime (earner) getting $50,000 in overtime on top of a $59,000 salary," says L&I Commissioner Carlton Williams.
He acknowledges it was a costly effort, but says the task force issued over 4,400 violations, many of them on evenings and weekends:
"This is where we're finding a lot of construction activities where people want to circumvent the rules and regulations thinking L&I is not maintaining their watchful and visible eye. Our goal is to be more aggressive in these matters and so overtime was required to cover those situations."
Williams says the city is working with the union to try to schedule the task force so off-hour inspections can be done at regular time pay.
