PARIS — Oxford County will shift to a biweekly payroll and implement electronic timekeeping in an effort to streamline how it pays its more than 80 employees.
The idea of implementing electronic time cards, rather than having employees submit time sheets they fill in themselves, has been discussed by county commissioners for years.
Commissioners hope a new system will be more accurate and efficient.
Chairman Caldwell Jackson of Oxford said the current system, in which time sheets are reviewed by department supervisors and then by the treasurer’s office, means there is a lot of “duplication of efforts,” in the process.
The switch to a biweekly payroll is expected to be implemented in October.
Commissioners on Tuesday voted to form a committee that includes county Administrator Scott Cole, Deputy Administrator Judy Haas, dispatch director Jim Miclon, and Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Hart Daley to look into options for a timekeeping system.
The committee is expected to submit its findings in time for the commissioners’ April meeting.
“We’re just trying to make sure our employees are paid accurately, that’s all,” Commissioner David Duguay of Byron said. “That’s what they deserve.”
County employees currently are paid every week, a practice that county Treasurer Roy Gedat said is relatively uncommon in most businesses.
“We’re trying to get our payroll process up-to-date,” he said.
Moreover, the county does not have a standardized method of keeping track of the hours employees work. According to Deputy Treasurer Debra Martin, the county has moved closer to a standardized time sheet, but there are currently three variations being used by the county’s 10 departments.
The county’s payroll varies from 83 to 102 employees, depending on the week and how many part-timers are working, Gedat said. The payroll averages 80 to 85 employees.
Until only months ago, employees filled out time sheets by hand, but now submit their hours via spreadsheet, Martin said.
In September, commissioners took steps to correct a number of inconsistencies and issues with its payroll identified by its human resources consultant. In particular, commissioners implemented a weekly exception report in an effort to pinpoint where payroll inaccuracies were occurring.
Gedat said he was unsure what form the new timekeeping system would take, but he said it could include marking in hours worked, as well as accrued time off in a standardized electronic system.
“I think it will be more efficient,” Gedat said. “I don’t know if it will be more accurate, but it would minimize the risk of errors and problems.”
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