JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Multiple employees of the City of Johnson City and their families reached out to News Channel 11 Friday stating that they had not been paid on time.
A city spokesperson issued a statement from City Manager Cathy Ball, who said the issue stems from the city’s transition to a new “enterprise software system.” The change to the new system occurred in April, and Ball said the city has been trying to fix issues with it since then.
“We understand and share our employees’ frustrations,” Ball stated.
Typically, city employee paychecks are deposited late Thursday or early Friday; however, that was not the case Friday. According to Ball, more time than usual was spent reviewing employee payroll because of the July 4 holiday.
Due to that extra time spent, Ball said the file containing payroll information was sent to the city’s bank Thursday evening – later than usual.
“Many employees’ checks have now been deposited, and our bank has assured us that all employees whose financial institutions are on eastern standard time will receive direct deposits by 6 p.m. today,” Ball stated Friday.
News Channel 11 obtained an email from Ball to city employees, in which she addressed the payroll issued.
“We understand that this may have caused some hardships, overdraft fees, etc., and we are exploring options for how to make that right.”
Johnson City City Manager Cathy Ball in an August 5 email to city employees
According to Ball, some staff have been reassigned entirely to focus on correcting the software issues the city is experiencing. She stated that the city’s highest priority is fixing the issues.
