Findlay struggles to rein in overtime

FINDLAY — Findlay's goals report for the third quarter of 2025 shows the city excelling in several core service areas, such as public safety, water quality, and infrastructure maintenance, but still struggling to cap overtime costs. Citywide overtime expenses have reached $800,000 year-to-date, surpassing the target based on a three-year average. The report attributes the overage to staffing shortages in the police and fire departments. The city has been reporting consistently high overtime usage among city employees, with specific spikes in overtime also noted in 2020 and 2022. While overtime has been a more consistent problem recently, previous reports indicated that the five-year average was only exceeded in two quarters each of these years. The 2020 spike was specifically attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantines. In all, there are 66 performance indicators included in the Key Performance Indicator report that were identified by 13 city departments as "key" or "most important" in determining the success or improvement of city services. The full report is available on the city's website, www.findlayohio.gov. In a letter to the council, dated Oct. 14, Mayor Christina Muryn and Service-Safety Director Rob Martin said the KPIs are a critical tool used to measure the city's service delivery, operational effectiveness and progress towards goals. The report shows the city is meeting or exceeding targets in several areas, including police and fire response times, water quality compliance and pothole repairs. The Findlay Police Department reported an average of 17 violent crime incidents and 121 non-violent incidents per month—both below the two-year average. Police response times for priority calls averaged 5 minutes and 54 seconds, beating the department's six-minute target. The Fire Department also exceeded expectations, with an average response time of 4 minutes and 8 seconds and turnout times consistently under one minute. The Water Department achieved 100% compliance with safe drinking water standards, meeting all requirements by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Similarly, the Water Pollution Control division reported 100% compliance with federal and state wastewater treatment and reporting standards under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Public Works averaged just one day to complete pothole repair requests — well below the three-day target. Damaged traffic signs were repaired within four days, and traffic signal issues were resolved in under a day. Findlay Airport reported hangar capacity at 102%, exceeding its 90% target. Jet A fuel sales, a major revenue source, remained strong despite weather-related dips in July.