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City staff to switch payroll to accrual basis; one-week pay advance planned to avoid employee hardship
Summary
Finance staff described a planned transition from current-basis to accrual-basis payroll beginning with the Oct. 30, 2025 payroll; the city will advance one week's pay so employees see no interruption or negative impact during the transition.
The West Columbia finance office plans to transition payroll from a current-basis pay structure to an accrual-basis structure, and staff told the council the city will advance one week of pay to employees during the initial transition so workers do not experience a reduction in take-home pay.
Finance staff described the change as an administrative efficiency that will require accruing one week of pay to complete the move to accrual accounting. The recommended approach is for the city to advance a regularly scheduled week of pay for employees so the transition does not require additional out-of-pocket funds from employees and avoids negative impacts during the first pay cycle under the new system.
Justin Black, who presented the item, said the city has researched multiple options and prioritized minimizing employee impact: “Our top priority has always been to avoid a negative impact on employees, with the transition.” He said the transition will start on the Oct. 30 payroll and that no payroll dates will change.
Staff said they will distribute informational flyers to employees and hold meetings, including at shift changes, over the next three weeks to explain the change. Council was not asked to take action; the change is an administrative implementation.
Ending: Staff characterized the change as a minor, short-term administrative cost in exchange for clearer payroll accounting and processing windows; no council vote was required or recorded in the meeting.
