Two former top Howard county administration officials were overpaid when they left, prompting one County Council member to question if the problem is widespread.
“We know there are two, but there are likely more,” said Council Member Courtney Watson, D-District 1.
Former Housing Director Leonard Vaughan was overpaid by about $1,800, or 32 hours of pay, according to an exit audit.
County employees are entitled to either 10 days of notice of their separation or 10 days of pay in lieu of notice.
Vaughan was given four days of notification, but received 10 rather than six days of pay, the audit states.
Outgoing Technology Director Nina Benz also was overpaid by 32 hours, or more than $1,900, a second audit found.
Both audits state the administration should contact the former employees to collect the money.
After realizing the mistake, county officials rechecked payment to an outgoing official not subject to an audit, and found he too was overpaid, said county spokesman Kevin Enright.
Former Housing Deputy Director Neil Gaffney received 32 hours of pay, or about $1,380, to which he wasn?t entitled.
The mistake stems from “a miscommunication between the administration and the Department of Finance and Human Resources regarding the time frame and more specifically, the last day of work,” Enright said.
To ensure it doesn?t happen again, the county?s chief administration officer must now approve the payments, he said.
“We believe that this oversight has been corrected by requiring the chief administrative officer to sign off on payment in lieu of notice documents,” Enright said.
Council Chairman Calvin Ball, D-District 2, said he didn?t think the problem was more prevalent and that the administration was addressing the problem.
“One of the reasons we have audits is to make sure it?s not a rampant issue and recognize when mistakes have been made,” he said.
