Louisville Metro Government has presented new EMS and Corrections contracts to a Metro Council committee.
The contracts are for five years and cover 230 EMS workers and 403 Corrections workers. New provisions in the contracts mandate that employees must work more than 40 hours a week before receiving overtime. Sick time and vacation time do not count as time worked.
That, and a provision reducing pay raises for new employees, is expected to save the $3.5 million.
Mayor Greg Fischer says the overtime provisions are important because a review showed 550 city employees, 10 percent of the city workforce, have earned more than $15,000 in overtime this year. "Our goal is to more closely match government expenses, 70 percent of which are personnel costs, with actual revenues," Fischer said in a news release. "These contracts help us begin to achieve that."