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~o <br />The practice of paying employees in advance of actual hours worked is a bad business <br />practice. It obligates staff time to correct avoidable errors. It is anon-standard <br />accounting practice frowned upon by the State and investment banks that finance County <br />debt. Continuing the current system is not sound financial management practice. <br />It is our intention to correct this issue during this fiscal year so that future audits and <br />financial reports will be clear as to the County's payroll practices. <br />We can and will accomplish this change to the payroll system without negatively <br />impacting county employee take home pay. <br />The planned change to the payroll system will occur during the month of October 2010. <br />That is one of two months this fiscal year with three regularly scheduled Friday paydays. <br />In order to make this correction and begin paying county employees for actual hours <br />worked before a scheduled payday, a deferral of one week between the end of the <br />scheduled work week and payday Friday is necessary. This change is planned for <br />October 15th, 2010. <br />The payroll for October 15`h will be set for hours actually worked between October 4th - <br />October IO`h, 2010. Most county employees would see a payday based upon 40 hours <br />plus any overtime (if applicable} for that time period. The next regular payday of <br />October 29th, 2010 would be based upon the actual hours worked fiom October 11`h - <br />October 25`h. County employees would see a normal payday based on hours worked <br />{typically 80 hours plus overtime, if applicable). <br />We are also changing the standard work week from a Monday through Sunday to a <br />Saturday through Friday accounting period. This change will affect time shee#s . <br />accordingly but will have no impact upon normal work schedules or employees and is for <br />accounting puzposes only. <br />To assist all county employees with this transition of the payroll system we are <br />planning to make three options available (at each individuaPs choice}: <br />1. Each county employee may elect to be paid for the actual hours worked as <br />indicated above {normally 40 hours, plus applicable overtime). This would be <br />roughly half of the normal scheduled pay each employee receives under the <br />current system. Or; <br />2. Each county employee may use accrued individual leave time comp-time (if <br />applicable), vacation, sick, personal and petty leave or combination of up to the <br />number of hours needed to obtain the norma184 hours scheduled for each payday. <br />Or; <br />3. Each county employee that may not have enough accrued leave (all categories <br />above) may request an advance of leave time available to be repaid through future <br />accruals during the FY 10 -11 fiscal year ending June 30th, 2011. (County <br />Commissioners will consider authorization of specific leave categories not <br />currently allowed within County personnel policies at their 8!17/10) regular <br />meeting.) <br />There has been much discussion among county employees about this change in payroll <br />policy. It is not something (as County Manager} I enjoy having to correct but it is a <br />practice that needs correction. The current system negatively impacts the County and <br />