Picking up road kill, caring for abused and lost animals, and dealing with pet owners can be more lucrative than working as a starting city prosecutor, according to finance records obtained by The Examiner.
The Examiner is reviewing salaries and overtime paid to public employees by state, county and city governments. Click here to read the complete list of salaries and overtime.
Ricky Martin Sr., an animal enforcement officer, earned a base salary of $32,990 but reported $18,047 in overtime ? the most in Baltimore?s City Health Department. His total annual salary last year of $51,037 was greater than those of at least 50 city state?s attorneys.
Of the top 10 overtime earners in the city?s Health Department, Martin and four others worked in the Animal Control Division, leading some to call for greater staffing for the agency that handles 30,000 animal emergencies a year.
“Our overtime is in two main places,” Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein said. “One?s animal control, and the other is our HIV outreach [program],” where the department?s mobile testing centers are staffed primarily with health officials volunteering for overtime.
Animal Control budgeted just under $43,000 in overtime, but it spent $96,630.91 last fiscal year, according to city finance records.
“We?re over budget, but we?re not collecting extra city money,” Sharfstein said. Money was made up from vacancies and other sources.
Animal control is one of the hardest jobs in the Health Department, and the only one that?s on call at all hours, he said. “I?ve done ride-alongs with animal control officers. It?s not the friendliest environment, and they?re dealing with animals that might be aggressive.”
The department has a budgeted staff of 14 officers and three supervisors, but there are only 11 officers on the payroll. At that staffing level, the city wants to have two officers on duty at all times, and it will pay overtime if any officer calls in sick on the graveyard shift, said Olivia Farrow, assistant commissioner for public health.
Out of a $1.9 million budget, she said, $42,845 is slated for overtime needs. Animal control officers patrol a city with an estimated 350,000 legal pets and another 175,000 strays.
The city is studying contracting with animal-rescue groups to deal with stray cats. They neuter cats and return them to the streets, where they compete with breeding cats for food and shelter.
“If you kill cats when you see them, more cats just move in. If you neuter or spay, they?re still there, just not having children,” Sharfstein said.
Animal Control Director Robert Anderson said his officers are experienced.
“Most of my officers have been here a long time, and they have no problem with the animals,” he said. “On occasion, they call for backup ? like three Fridays ago, when therewere four emus running around Calvert Street. That caught us flat-footed. We don?t train for that.”
City Council Vice President Robert Curran introduced a resolution last month calling to increase staffing by three to five full-time officers, because officers are handling more than 2,142 calls a year.
“That?s more than a call an hour,” Curran said. “There?s a response time of more than four days to close a call. Of course, if there?s a police case, they go there first.”
Top 10 Health Department OT earners in 2006
(base-overtime-total)
» Ricky Martin Sr., animal enforcement officer: 32,990 – 18,047 – 51,037
» Donald Walls, licensed practical nurse: 33,815 – 17,238 – 51,053
» Eugene Herring Jr., animal enforcement supervisor: 43,950 – 15,266 – 59,216
» William Corbin, emergency medical aide: 23,126 – 14,629 – 37,755
» Carlton Granger, animal enforcement officer: 34,640 – 14,305 – 48,945
» Abdul Jamaal, public health investigator: 26,794 – 14,124 – 40,918
» Clarence Kelly Jr., animal shelter attendant: 28,519 – 13,834 – 42,353
» Robert Hudnall Jr., animal enforcement officer: 32,990 – 13,791 – 46,781
» Wanda Betts, emergency medical aide: 25,335 – 12,831 – 38,166
Kenneth McNair, public health representative, 38,384 – 12,506 – 50,890
Source: Baltimore City
