The office director of the mayor of Klagenfurt was paid 62,021 euros for 691 hours of overtime. The city’s own accountants criticize the high cost of leasing employees.
Personnel costs at the town hall are increasing. The reason for this is, among other things, that a lot of overtime has been charged. That is why the municipal audit office was instructed to assess the overtime. The audit body’s rough report is now causing controversy: the focus is on Patrick Jonke, the head of the mayor’s office. Last year he was paid a total of 62,021.17 euros gross for 691 hours of overtime. As a leasing employee, he cost the city 200,000 euros annually. The fact that Jonke calculated 15.9 hours too many, according to the accountants, is hardly worth mentioning. He had to pay back the money raised for this out of his own pocket.
Jonke justifies himself: “As an office manager, I worked 2204.9 hours in twelve months. The job involves a lot of overtime. The 691 overtime hours are 1.8 overtime hours per day over the year. That is normal. Of the 200,000 costs for the leasing company, I only received 64,000 euros, and there is also much less left for overtime.” According to the City Audit Office, lease employees are 36 percent more expensive than contract employees.
Employment brought savings
That is why Mayor Christian Scheider (TK) hired 40 leased employees in March, including Jonke. According to the city boss, this meant that approximately three million euros could be saved. A maximum of 50 lease employees currently work for the city. “62,021 euros is not a trivial matter. “Some people here use the city’s money unscrupulously,” criticizes Angelika Hödl (SP). She also demands an investigation into the actions of city manager Peter Jost, who approved the overtime without proof of performance.
That is why the magistrate is increasingly calling for so-called all-in contracts for top civil servants. Because this eliminates overtime. Scheider doubts the measure: “But that would be even more expensive for the city, because not all overtime can be covered in an all-in package. The city would still have to make additional payments.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
