Error-filled payroll is $245,000 hit

Tom Clifford

Milan Simonich - State will invest in training to shore up department, avoid any more mistakes. One botched payroll will cost state government more than headaches. The Department of Finance and Administration will spend about $245,000 for employee training and to trace what wrong with the June 22 payroll that was filled with mistakes. Clear already is that human error caused about 7,900 employees to be shorted on their paychecks, state Controller Ricky Bejarano said Tuesday. Tom Clifford, secretary of finance, said the state had been running a payroll operation that was “pennywise and pound foolish,” meaning staffing and experience levels were not adequate for the demands of the job. When certain staff members made errors, nobody else caught them. “We have no bench is the best way to put it,” Bejarano said. The state’s payroll software is six years old, but machines played no part in the breakdowns. Every failing in this instance was human error, Bejarano said. The state will spend $200,000 for a contractor to be on site for six months to help shore up the payroll operation through training, Clifford said. He said he viewed that expense as an investment to improve efficiency and protect against any more mistakes. Read More News New Mexico

Error-filled payroll is $245,000 hit