Louisiana City Officials Correct Long-Standing Payroll Policy
The City of Louisiana is auditing and changing a long-standing policy regarding the way payroll is processed.
Late last week it was discovered that the process for calculating payroll for hourly law enforcement personnel is not in line with the expectations of administrative officials and police officers. The policy in question has been in place for many years, spanning multiple past administrations.
Specifically, many officers were not paid for some hours worked, and in some cases, officers were paid for hours not worked. This is due to a Department of Labor (DOL) opinion on section 207(k) plans which governs the 171 overtime rules for law enforcement overtime.
At this time there does not appear to have been anything illegal. However, Mayor Bart Niedner said he does not feel this policy meets the expectations of employment under his term in office.
“It is an untenable situation which never should have been created. I am appalled that our law enforcement personnel have endured this policy over so many years. We immediately updated the policy beginning with this pay period, and are in the process of auditing our records to quantify the effects. I will be recommending to the City Council that we compensate those affected back to the beginning of my term,” said Mayor Niedner. “Further, I have asked the City Attorney to examine former City Clerk Sharon Kakouris’s implementation of this DOL policy. Should there be any question regarding its lawfulness, I will extend my request to Council back into the prior administration to meet the five-year statutory limit.”
The issue was brought to light last Thursday when a current officer questioned the hours on his pay stub. Chief April Epperson took the issue to the treasurer and city clerk for an explanation. Epperson recalls bringing this same problem to the attention of the former city clerk back in 2010 or 2011. Then a detective who moved to a salaried position, Epperson had believed that the issue was addressed in favor of employees at that time.
“Our payroll process is conducted by the city clerk and handed down as institutional knowledge,” Niedner explained.
Stemming from the former city clerk, Sharon Kakouris, who held that position for 14 years, this process passed down to the current clerk without review or question across multiple administrations.
“Clerk Jesse Murphy and Treasurer Charity Lesley have done an outstanding job of ferreting out the issue and taking immediate, corrective action,” added the mayor. “We could not have acted so quickly, or with such confidence, without their tremendous effort.”
The City will be hiring a temporary assistant to expedite the extensive records search, scanning, and compiling required to take corrective action. City Administrator Kelly Henderson expects the audit will take 30-60 days and will result in tens of thousands of dollars being retroactively paid to current and former police officers should the Council support Mayor Niedner’s request.
“It is a non-trivial blow to city funding just as we are stretching every dollar to meet our comprehensive infrastructure goals. But it is the right and only course for the city to take. We must compensate these folks as quickly as possible and make this right. The idea that we have not paid our police officers for hours they have worked to protect our community is unacceptable whether it was legal to do or not.”
The City of Louisiana is a Class III municipality. For more information on the city, visit www.Louisiana-MO.com or call (573) 754-4021.
