Audit committee raises payroll‑processing concerns after several bounced employee checks; board seeks meeting with treasurer

Board members and the audit committee raised concerns that several employee paychecks failed to process because of positive‑pay exception handling and insufficient redundancy in the review process. Committee members reported an initial incident during the county fair weekend that affected three or four school employees; a later instance in December prompted the audit committee to mark the issue for follow up.

Supervisors described the mechanics: banks produce exception reports to verify unfamiliar payees on checks, and a county staff member must verify the item. Committee members said that when the responsible staff member was absent there was no secondary reviewer and checks did not go through, creating embarrassment for employees and late payments. The audit committee asked the committee chair to meet with the treasurer to review cash handling procedures, positive‑pay workflows and reconciliation practices.

Board members requested a public briefing with the treasurer after that meeting so the board and citizens can understand what occurred and what remedial steps the treasurer's office will take. The board emphasized the importance of redundancy and timely payroll processing for team members, and the audit committee flagged potential accounting/material‑finding risks if the issue is not corrected.

Ending: The audit committee will meet with the treasurer and prepare a report for the board; supervisors asked staff to invite the treasurer to the next board meeting for overview and clarification if the committee meeting does not resolve outstanding questions.