There have been numerous stories reported in the news media lately about the practice of government workers padding their pensions with the accumulation of overtime in the last two to three years before eligible employees retire.
I wish to set the record straight that the Town Board does not allow this practice to take place here in Webster. Overtime is very carefully monitored by the Town Board and our Department Heads to make sure that any overtime worked is completely necessary.
For example: at the Sewer Department there are cases when overtime is required, especially cases of emergencies such as sewer backup in a subdivision, a pump station malfunction at midnight, or the plant shutting down during a power outage. Overtime is also authorized for Highway Department personnel to keep town roads clear of snow, especially during major winter storms, or in other emergency situations.
Here at Town Hall our staff seldom works overtime; with the exception of the Assessing Department when work needs to be completed for the Town Roll each year. Staff at the Town Clerk’s Office may also be required to work some overtime during the collection of town and school taxes during the months of September and January.
Due to the nature of the nature of their jobs, the Webster Police Department does accumulate overtime in part because of vacation coverage, town court and grand jury appearances, along with mandatory training outside of regular working hours. Chief Gerald Pickering carefully monitors the Police Department’s budget, and you can be assured that the town does not allow officers to pad their pensions in order to secure more money when they eventually retire.
I am an avid supporter that overtime should not be included in the calculation of retirement benefits, and only an employee’s base salary should be used to figure retirement benefits here in New York State. You have our assurances that the Town Board will never enter into practice of pension padding and we will continue to look at overtime closely as we prepare our 2011 Town Budget.
If you have any questions about the issue of pensions, or your town government, please feel free to contact me during regular business hours at (585) 872-7068; or email me anytime at
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Ronald W. Nesbitt
Webster Town Supervisor
