MADISON, Wis. -- Wise spending is an important issue amid the ongoing recession, and some are wondering why city crews were working overtime this past weekend despite a proposed citywide wage freeze and the largest property tax hike in years.

Despite the talk of lean times heard from City Hall, the Madison Streets Department will spend an estimated $100,000 on overtime for leaf pickup this fall, officials said.

Amid some public skepticism, Streets Superintendent Al Schumacher said all the extra effort and expenditure is worth it and budgeted for. He said he sent 45 streets workers out this past Saturday and Sunday on overtime to take advantage of the weather forecast.

According to Schumacher, 17,000 tons of leaves must be collected every autumn -- mostly in November. This year, he said a late leaf drop left too many leaves on the streets too close to the first winter snowfall.

Schumacher said there aren't enough regular city crews to just pick up the load during the week since winter is rapidly approaching.

"We don't want to take that chance. If we didn't continue to work this -- try to get as many leaves as we can collected -- there would be way too many leaves on the street, on the terraces," he said. "That's not doing what the public wants."

Schumacher said people don't want their leaves out for three or four weeks. To meet that expectation, three-person crews will be out working overtime again on Saturday picking up leaves.

According to Schumacher, the three overtime days -- plus the overtime accrued by some 10-hour shifts during the week -- will likely come with a nearly $120,000 price tag. However, Schumacher also said some workers elect to take comp time instead of pay, and that adjustment should bring the cost to or below the budgeted amount for leaf pickup overtime: $96,000.

The mayor was consulted about the overtime and approved it, WISC-TV reported.

City officials are currently trying to negotiate wage freezes with the streets and other city unions in light of tough economic times.