Payroll panic in Pueblo: New system shorting county employees up to 75% of their paycheck
Pueblo, Colo. (KRDO) - A payroll panic is impacting some employees of Pueblo County.
Several individuals with the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office voiced their concerns and frustrations on Tuesday to the Pueblo County Board of Commissioners.
Some who voiced their concerns said people were shorted thousands of dollars on their most recent checks and families were forced to make some tough financial decisions..
The issues are occurring as the county tries to switch to a new payroll system, and it's led to a significant number of workers being either overpaid or severely shorted. Some who spoke before county commissioners Tuesday said this could lead to workers walking off the job if it's not fixed soon.
"We have a homicide case right now, and my guys have been so focused on their paychecks that they cannot see anything else other than the hundreds of dollars that they lost this month," Pueblo County Investigative Captain Shelly Bryant said.
The county government said the issue stems from a transition to a more modern "workday system."
"We understand that there's going to be bumps in the road when you switch from one process to another, but expecting our employees to not be able to pay their bills and not be able to put food on the table this month because of pay issues? I can't tell somebody who is a single mother with a house payment that got a $600 check this month, we're working on it. I don't think that that's fair," Captain Sandy Purkett said.
All three Pueblo County commissioners seemed sympathetic at Tuesday's board meeting, with the Chair calling the situation unacceptable. But, they also admitted there's no immediate solution available.
"I hope what you're hearing is that we are hearing you. Now, that doesn't mean that these issues are going to be fixed with a snap of a finger," Pueblo County Commissioner Miles Lucero said.