Monthly, semi-monthly or biweekly? Those were the questions asked during a recent county board meeting concerning the payroll payment schedule for Yazoo County deputies.
Sheriff Jeremy McCoy said he is on the verge of losing deputies based on the current model. But County Administrator Donna Kraft said the payroll schedule currently being used offers less confusion with processing.
Kraft said county employees were given a choice to either accept their payroll on a biweekly or monthly basis. A monthly basis includes a paycheck monthly with the bi-weekly scheduling occurring every two weeks.
McCoy suggested that deputies be paid semi-monthly, where employees are paid twice a month, typically on the 1st and 15th on the month.
Semi-monthly pay results in 24 paychecks a year with bi-weekly resulting in 26 paychecks a year.
“It really looks like the deputies are losing money,” McCoy said. “I am asking if we could go back to getting paid semi-monthly because with the bi-weekly pay, the deputies are losing about $300 of their take-home pay.”
Kraft said semi-monthly pay “has never been done in the history of the county.”
“We tried it, and it does not work,” she said. “(Employees) were given a choice to be either bi-weekly or monthly. I took the time with each one of them to work it out for them to show what their pay would be on a bi-weekly payroll because in bi-weekly, you get 26 checks a year. So, your annual salary is divided by 26 rather than 24. That is why each check it’s a little bit less that what it was on semi-monthly because on semi-monthly, you get 24 checks.”
“I have gone over this, over this and over this,” Kraft continued. “I put in on paper for each one of them to show what the difference if. They still chose bi-weekly. The only other choice is to put them all back to monthly.”
McCoy said just because it might “take extra work” to use the semi-monthly payment schedule shouldn’t deter the option.
“I am not concerned about the amount of work,” Kraft said. “It’s the confusion it creates.”
“The deputies are already getting paid pennies on a dime,” McCoy replied. “It’s rough to go from $1,755 every two weeks and then get knocked back down to $1,455 when you already got your stuff set up. This is no pay increase. They still get the same salary. It would be a whole lot easier to keep somebody here if they could bring home $1,755 versus $1,455.”
Kraft said she would not do the semi-monthly schedule again.
“How are you going to tell them what you are going to do,” McCoy asked Kraft, pointing to the Board of Supervisors.
“How are you going to tell me what I am going to do,” Kraft replied to McCoy. “Let’s just go ahead and get it on the table. How are you going to tell me what to do?”
“You work for them,” McCoy said. “I’m talking to them.”
McCoy said some of his deputies are “talking about leaving” based on the current payment schedule.
“It has been done monthly forever; in the 48 years I have been here,” Kraft said.
“Well, for 48 years, something should have been changed,” McCoy said. “This is not a pay raise. It is all about the rate. We have a hard time getting people to come to work. If we have the opportunity to help them stay here and work in Yazoo County then I think we should.”
County leaders asked McCoy whether he wanted to accept the monthly or bi-weekly schedule. The semi-monthly schedule was not considered.
“If those are the only two options, I guess I will go with monthly,” McCoy replied. “But then I won’t have any deputies because nowhere else makes anybody wait all month to get a paycheck. I am just trying to keep law enforcement. Hearing it is all about the confusion…that is going to be hard to explain.”
