Officials pay themselves overtime.

I don't subscribe to The Daily News any more. It hasn't been daily since Hurricane Katrina, the typos drive me nuts, and the reporting and editing ain't too good, in my opinion.

But every once in a while, they print a story that's a tantalizing hint of excitement to come. Like this one from April 6, 2006. Excerpt:

Actions taken after Hurricane Katrina by Bogalusa mayor Mack McGehee without the consent or knowledge of the city council are under review by the state legislative auditor and as a result, the council has authorized its president, Danny Stogner, to hire an attorney.
[...]
The three issues involve McGehee taking action after the hurricane without council approval, which is required by the city charter. He reportedly also failed to inform the council after-the-fact.

The mayor also authorized overtime compensation for himself and his department heads, signed a contract for emergency services and signed a contract for other services, such as damage repairs.

Read the whole thing. Serious stuff.

Down in St. Bernard Parish, overtime has attracted the attention of the FBI:

In the first seven months after Hurricane Katrina devastated St. Bernard Parish, the tax-starved parish government paid millions of dollars in overtime wages and hired more than 150 temporary employees, including relatives of parish officials, moves that now have sparked an outcry from the Parish Council and an investigation by the FBI.

Between Aug. 29 and late March, St. Bernard spent $3.4 million on overtime wages, payroll documents show, with the payouts in the period immediately following the storm reaching up to 40 times the prestorm rate.

Will we see some parish and city officials leave office in handcuffs?