Cuyahoga County disputes auditor's findings, says $1.7 million in extra pay was proper
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish now disputes months-old audit findings that his administration improperly paid $1.7 million in overtime to salaried employees.
Budish and his aides raised no objections in their written reply to the county's independent auditor in September, but they said Friday that they do not consider the payments to be overtime or in violation of rules governing compensation.
They said that they have the authority to pay salaried or "exempt" employees for hours worked beyond 40 hours a week. They also said the payments they made did not fit the definition of the word "overtime" because they reflected the employees' hourly rates rather than time and a half.
"If our exempt employees work more than 40 hours they can expect additional compensation," Budish said. "They can bank time to take off or get additional dollar compensation."
Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2017/11/cuyahoga_county_disputes_auditors_findings_says_17_million_in_extra_pay_was_proper.html