Report shows decrease in overtime costs

Savings reported Tuesday by task force

MADISON, Wis. —

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections said it has saved $2.1 million in overtime costs in the first three months of 2012.

The savings were reported Tuesday in a quarterly update by Gov. Scott Walker’s task force designed to find and eliminate government waste, fraud and abuse.

The report said the DOC was able to save money on overtime by implementing “common sense policies,” allowing for better management of overtime at the adult prisons. It said a projected increase in overtime costs for the year has been turned into a drop.

Overtime in the department’s Division of Community Corrections has dropped by nearly 90 percent.

Also, the report says the Department of Health Services is reviewing why overtime at its 24-hour institutions has declined 18 percent over the previous year.