The City of Oakland has discovered it overpaid overtime amounting to over $1.5 million to some workers, primarily in the Department of Public Works. Despite this significant finding, Oakland officials, including City Council member Janani Ramachandran, have stated they will not act immediately to resolve the issue. City leaders express concern about wastage of taxpayer dollars, particularly given the city's $140 million budget deficit. An external consultant is being sought to reassess the auditor's findings before any adjustments will be made, highlighting concerns about potential issues in other city departments.
"When we talk about where (do) our tax dollars go, this an example of wastage in the city," says Oakland City Council member Janani Ramachandran, who is also Chair of the Finance Committee.
"I was shocked to hear that the response to my question, 'Well, have we fixed this problem now that it's been identified by the auditor?' And the answer was, 'No.'" said Ramachandran.
"We all know that, if this problem exists in our Public Works Department, it is probably there in other departments as well," said Ramachandran.
The City Attorney's Office is contracting with the firm Liebert Cassidy Whitmore to help advise the City Administration related to the City Auditor's report.
Collection
[
|
...
]