The city of Cincinnati paid $2.3 million in overtime last year for management employees exempt from overtime under federal labor law, and Councilman Pat DeWine wants to put a stop to it.

        Last year, 586 exempt employees earned overtime. Of those, 55 received more than $10,000.

        And it's not a one-year aberration, Mr. DeWine said. In 2000, the city paid more than $2.2 million in overtime to 664 exempt employees — 73 of whom received more than $10,000.

        On Tuesday, Mr. DeWine plans to introduce a motion in City Council's Finance Committee. It calls for an end to the 20-year-old practice, a citywide audit of overtime procedures, and a complete review of employee job descriptions to make sure that management and non-management employees are properly classified.

        Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, employers are not required to pay overtime to management and professional employees.

        But under Cincinnati's policy, city managers get overtime as long as they supervise hourly employees making overtime. And top city officials as high up as division heads are eligible for overtime as long as their work is determined to be “of a critical nature.”

        “The policy is horrible,” the Republican councilman said. “When you see that many employees making that much in overtime, it cries out for a closer look.”

        Mr. DeWine's analysis found:

        • An assistant manager in the Regional Computer Center received $25,482 on top of a $77,709 salary — an increase of 33 percent.

        • A computer systems analyst received $24,651 in overtime on top of a $68,630 salary — an increase of 36 percent.

        • A supervisor in the sewer department received $31,251 in overtime on top of a $55,741 salary — an increase of 56 percent.

        City agencies with the most exempt overtime were Water Distribution Maintenance, with $230,709, and the Regional Computer Center, with $227,169.

        David E. Rager, the Water Works director, said much of that overtime was unavoidable. When repair crews work 100-hour weeks fixing water mains, the field supervisors who oversee them also get overtime.

        “Our overtime expenses closely follow the weather patterns,” he said. “If we get into deep cold spells, or severe droughts, our overtime swings with it.”

        But he said the city administration would look into Mr. DeWine's concerns.

        “It's a policy decision,” said Mr. Rager, who is also serving as acting deputy city manager. “There are different ways to compensate. You could increase someone's pay and then tell them they're not going to get overtime. But that has a cost, too.”

        Mr. DeWine said he can't find any city with a policy as liberal as Cincinnati's.

        “And it's almost unheard of in the private sector to pay management-level employees overtime,” he said.

        Mr. DeWine said his legislative aide, Chris Eilerman, spent long hours analyzing city overtime data to prepare the councilman's motion. He did not get overtime.

        “People who work here are professionals, and they get paid to do their work,” Mr. DeWine said. “I expect Chris to get his job done. I don't keep track of every hour he works.”

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