Council debate over handbook and payroll errors puts clerk on notice to review pay stubs

A prolonged discussion at the March 5 Kingsford Heights Town Council meeting centered on which types of leave count as "hours worked" under the town handbook and whether recent payrolls contained errors that left employees underpaid.

The issue was raised after a council member requested official clarification — by ordinance or resolution — about whether vacation, holiday and personal time count as hours worked. The council compared an older handbook that said vacation counted as time worked with a 2024 handbook that is vague or silent on some categories. "The Fair Labor Act has enough leeway in it...we have the right to say vacation hours and or holiday hours shall count as hours work," one council member said while discussing options for a short‑term resolution.

Several employees and council members alleged specific miscalculations. One employee described pay stubs where vacation and overtime hours appeared to be applied inconsistently; another council member referred to an audit review that flagged "over $50,000" of payroll overtime discrepancies from 2021–2024. The clerk responded that some items had already been corrected but that outstanding issues remained. "Let them explain to you with their check stubs where they think it's from," the chair said, directing the clerk to meet individually with employees to reconcile concerns.

Council members discussed two paths: make a near‑term fix by passing an ordinance or resolution to clarify what counts as time worked, or take more time to revise the handbook comprehensively. Several members favored a short formal resolution to settle the immediate payroll and payroll‑processing uncertainty, with a larger handbook rewrite to follow.

What the council directed
The chair asked the clerk to meet one‑on‑one with employees who report unresolved pay issues and to make adjustments where necessary prior to the following payroll cycle. The council also tasked staff to prepare a resolution clarifying what the town counts as hours worked so payroll calculations and audit inquiries can be resolved promptly.

Sources: Council and employee remarks during public meeting.