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Clayton County audit team says sheriff’s overtime exceeds budget; documents still pending
Summary
Deputy Chief Operating Officer Landry Murchison told commissioners an internal audit is underway after the board approved an additional $7 million for the sheriff; auditors report overtime is over budget and requested sheriff’s financial records and bank statements but have not yet received all documents.
Deputy Chief Operating Officer Landry Murchison told the Clayton County Board of Commissioners on May 6 that an internal audit of the sheriff’s office is under way and that the sheriff’s overtime has exceeded budgeted levels.
Murchison said the board requested the audit after passage of budget amendment 2-28 in April, which allocated an additional $7 million to the sheriff’s office. “As you will recall… there were three primary focus areas, which was overtime, identify any accounts controlled by the sheriff which are not budgeted, and the sources and amount of any income required by law to be turned over to the county,” Murchison said.
The audit team — a joint committee of internal audit, human resources and the Department of Finance — has asked the sheriff’s office for a range of documents, Murchison said, including recent financial statements and bank statements for accounts “in the name of the sheriff at Truist Bank” and two accounts at Ameris Bank. He cited OCGA 36-81-7(c)(1) as an authority requiring returns under oath on revenue and expenditures.
Murchison said the committee began reconciling overtime after receiving partial data and had not yet received all requested records from the sheriff. He reported the sheriff’s office had budgeted $4,500,000 for overtime in the current fiscal year and “is at about $6,600,000 currently.” He said the committee’s overtime summary from Jan. 1 to May 6, 2025 showed roughly “48,800 and 12 hours of overtime at a cost of right over 1,829,000,” and that the committee was focusing initially on the 1.5x overtime pay code while other pay codes (callback pay, AD pay) remain to be reviewed.
Commissioners asked for clarification about timing and scope. Murchison said the audit aims to inform the county’s budget-setting for the next fiscal year and to determine what additional funds, if any, are needed to close out the current year. He told the board he expected “the bulk of the information” to be available by the next board meeting.
No formal action or vote was taken on the audit report at the May 6 meeting. The board directed staff to continue the review and return with an update.
Murchison’s presentation occurred during the regular business meeting and preceded public comment and subsequent agenda votes.
