The Mountain Xpress believes the City of Asheville is mismanaging employee overtime. The city spent $1.8 million on overtime last year and $47.5 million on regular-hour pay. The police department used the most overtime, with several officers receiving five digits worth. The article is illustrated with a photograph of four officers earning overtime working a four-alarm stationary observation at Bele Chere. The officer ranked third highest in overtime is often stationed as one of the four officers protecting members of city council from members of the public during their meetings which usually run for 5 to 6 hours.