County shifts payroll from HR to finance
By Steve Herring
Published in News on April 22, 2013 1:46 PM
Wayne County commissioners have agreed to move the county's payroll office from human resources to the finance department.
Commissioner Bill Pate broached the issue of the payroll office being in the human resources department during a work session on overtime and salary overpayments.
"Why is our payroll not part of finance?" Pate said. "It is like we built an extra step in there. It kind of comes back to the time that it has taken to get these overpayment reports.
"It makes me wonder if that is part of the (overpayment) problem that it has taken longer to get the numbers than if they were already there. We may have seen this problem happen earlier. What do you guys think?"
Pate said CPAs he talked with said is more typical for payroll to be in the finance department in county government.
Commissioner Ray Mayo agreed and said that in the private sector, human resources dealt with personnel issues, not financial problems.
"I would like to make a motion at this time that the payroll for Wayne County be transferred to and put under the finance department," Mayo said.
Pate asked if Mayo would add to his motion that the transaction be complete by May 31. Mayo asked if it was feasible to do it by that date.
"It can be effective today," Smith said.
Mayo agreed to do so and the motion was unanimously approved.