State Comptroller’s Audit of Allegany County Jail
January 30, 2014
ALBANY, NY – State Comptroller Tom Dinapoli’s Office has released an audit of the Allegany County Jail.
The comptroller’s office says the Allegany County Jail had a budget of approximiately 4 million for staff,
and that $977,000 in overtime went to jail employees.
“The County paid approximately $4.4 million in wages for correctional staff during the 2012 calendar year. Approximately $977,000, or 22 percent, was for overtime. During 2012, the average base pay of the 20 highest overtime earners was $42,200 while overtime earnings for these 20 employees averaged $23,600 or 56 percent of their base salary. As a result of earning more than $53,000 in overtime compensation, the highest paid offi cer more than doubled his annual salary of $46,000 in 2012”, the comptroller’s audit noted.
The comptroller’s office also reports that two administrators at the jail were paid over $50,000 in overtime, without proper documentation. “We analyzed more than $476,000 in overtime earnings for 2012 that was paid to 21 employees including corrections offi cers, deputies and sergeants at the County jail. We determined that overtime costs were primarily attributed to insuffi cient staffi ng. The hiring of a combination of new full-time correctional offi cers and part-time offi cers could present the County with signifi cant cost reductions when compared to
paying overtime to full-time employees. Additionally, we found that
the overtime earnings of more than $56,000 paid to two administrative staff members were not supported by records to demonstrate that the overtime was necessary and approved prior to it occurring.”
Our news department attempted to reach the Allegany County Legislature for a response, but we have not heard back from them as of yet. However, the state comptroller’s audit does include a letter from the Allegany County Legislature, which explained that the two administrators who were mentioned as getting too much overtime, did keep proper time sheets.
