Osage County delays final decision on payroll calendar while onboarding ADP

Osage County commissioners spent an extended portion of their Feb. 4 meeting discussing how and when to change the county's payroll calendar as the county transitions payroll processing to ADP.

The discussion focused on options for aligning the county's pay period with the sheriff's existing schedule and on how to avoid causing payment headaches for employees. Michelle, the county clerk, said, "We actually have discussion about that right now. We're talking with the department heads on payroll when we move to ADP, so we don't have an answer for that Okay. Right now." The conversation explored moving the county pay date from the existing 20th'to'20th cycle to dates such as the 5th, 10th or 15th of the month and examined how a one'time bridging payment might ease the transition.

Why it matters: a change in the pay period would affect every county employee and requires extra processing time from the new payroll vendor and coordination with departments. Commissioners heard that the sheriff's payroll currently runs from the first to the end of the month while most other county departments use a 20th'to'20th cycle. The clerk told commissioners that the mismatch had produced monthly manual corrections and extra work for KPERS (the state retirement system) processing. The county attorney and staff repeatedly emphasized that the switch must be managed to avoid missed payments and bank-withdrawal conflicts for employees.

Key details from the discussion: county staff, department heads and the ADP implementation team will test how rapidly the new system can process payroll and report back. Commissioners considered letting the sheriff remain on his cycle while moving other departments, but staff said aligning everyone would reduce duplicate processing and manual adjustments. Options discussed included: - Moving the county pay date to the 5th of the month (frequently suggested) or to the 10th or 15th as alternatives; commissioners noted tradeoffs between processing time and the number of employees who would need to change recurring payment dates. - Using a one'time bridging payroll (an advance or an extra paycheck) to avoid immediate cash-flow problems for employees during the first month of any change. The clerk said she preferred paying all employees "current" after the transition but acknowledged that one initial bridging payment might be necessary. - Ensuring KPERS and other state reporting occur correctly; the clerk said prior mismatches had required several hours of manual adjustments each month.

Direction, not a decision: The board did not adopt a new pay schedule at the meeting. Instead, commissioners directed the clerk to continue onboarding ADP, to meet with department heads to gather how many employees and recurring payments would be affected, and to return with recommended pay-period dates and an implementation plan. The county attorney agreed to answer questions about the legal and reporting effects of any change and to confirm deadlines tied to third-party processors.

Background: Commissioners said the county has operated with separate payroll cycles in the past, which created a recurring set of manual corrections, particularly around KPERS reporting and when employees left during a pay period. Staff said outside payroll processors typically require 7'to'14 days after cutoff to finalize pay and reports, which informed the commissioners' thinking about feasible approval dates.

What comes next: staff will consult ADP and department heads, estimate transition costs and timing, and present a recommended implementation timetable and default pay date for the board to consider at a later meeting. The board emphasized the goal of avoiding missed or short paychecks during any transition and providing employees with ample notice.