A plan to pay Salt Lake County employees every other Friday would overburden payroll clerks and cost taxpayers, say commissioners, who rejected the request.
A petition signed by 267 county employees was presented to the commission Monday morning. County employees are paid on the fifth and 20th of each month.Employees who signed the petition said they have difficulty budgeting under the current system. Paydays are frequently interrupted if they fall on weekends or holidays, and sometimes employees go almost three weeks between checks.
But County Auditor Craig Sorensen said payroll clerks would have to spend 8 percent more time processing the checks if they were issued every other week because such a system would add two more paydays each year.
Commissioner Dave Watson said some employees who signed the petition may not have realized the amount of pay would be reduced to make up for the extra paydays.
"I really am ambivalent, but I see no compelling argument that we should make the change," Commission Chairman Bart Barker said. Commissioners voted unanimously to reject the request.