Fulton County commissioners on Wednesday refused to authorize two spending requests from Sheriff Patrick Labat, citing previous questions about Labat’s stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
One request, to reauthorize paying double overtime instead of time-and-a-half, was delayed until commissioners hear from Labat himself. The other, to pay on a dozen service contracts previously funded out of the jail’s controversial Inmate Welfare Fund, was flatly denied.
Both moves were sparked by comments from District 2 Commissioner Bob Ellis.
The sheriff’s office has been paying employees double instead of time-and-a-half for overtime, citing a shortage of jail deputies and persistent trouble hiring and retaining employees. But authorization for that double pay has run out, and Labat asked commissioners to approve it again.
Ellis said he requested data on how double overtime was allocated last year, and found it cost $6.5 million altogether.
“Just under $2 million of that was spent on civilian staff,” he said — and $3.6 million of it went to employees other than jail staff.
Some people nearly doubled their pay via overtime, Ellis said. He asked if the new resolution mandated the double-overtime pay go to people who actually worked at the jail.
Kenneth Hermon, county HR director, said the previous year’s authorization didn’t include many restrictions but the renewal proposal is “significantly different.”
“It limits the double overtime only to two units within the sheriff’s department,” Hermon said: the jail and its satellite functions. It also says only detention officers or sworn deputies are eligible, and excludes the crime suppression unit, he said.
Better monitoring and documentation is also needed of hours worked, Ellis said.
District 6 Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman said she has repeatedly asked whether the sheriff intends to repay money misspent from the jail’s former Inmate Welfare Fund. The county took control of the fund from the sheriff’s office last November after discovering — again due to questions by Ellis — that large sums had been spent on gift cards, public events and other items that did not benefit inmates. The fund came from jail commissary sales and inmate phone charges.
Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Michael Shoates and Chief Counsel Amelia Joiner stepped up to speak, but that didn’t satisfy Abdur-Rahman.
“I asked the sheriff to answer the questions,” she said.
Hermon said if commissioners didn’t pass the double-overtime authorization, sheriff’s personnel working overtime would revert to receiving time-and-a-half.
Commissioners voted 4-3 to hold the authorization at least until their next meeting, expecting to hear directly from Labat.
The sheriff’s office also asked for $642,580 to pay dozen consulting contracts that had previously been paid out of the Inmate Welfare Fund. The contracts with a dozen individuals or groups, including a chaplain and a hair salon, were described as providing “professional services” for inmates.
Ellis again objected, saying if the jail needed employees they should be hired through the regular process, and any consulting contracts should be bid out. He moved to deny the request, and commissioners agreed in a 4-3 vote.
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