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Pocono News Section
Row Officer Calls Payroll Policy 'Unclear'
Row Officer Calls Payroll Policy 'Unclear' - Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 11:19PM EST
Reported by: Joe Holden
Thursday, Jun 25, 2009 @ 11:19pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Call it years of misdirection and misunderstanding, Recorder of Deeds James "Red" O'Brien defended his office on Thursday, a day after WBRE Eyewitness News questioned his deputy about a controversial work schedule.
O'Brien said the county's current payroll policy does not address employees like Deputy Recorder of Deeds Mark Carey, who O'Brien describes as a political appointment. He said the policy contains some gray areas. But county commissioners have said deputies are classified as management and they claim the county's uniform policy, adopted last July, is clear. The policy, obtained by the I-Team, outlines how each row officer is to track an employee's time, from vacation to sick to bereavement time.
Last week, the I-Team exposed irregularities with a deputy sheriff's time card. Charles Guarnieri's vacation time had not been tracked by the county, even though three sources claimed Guarnieri had been off work for four weeks. Commissioners said the time card error resulted in the county's inability to oversee and monitor how much time Guarnieri had actually taken. Commissioner Stephen Urban called it "fraud."
In the case of the Recorder of Deeds Office, Carey has held another job in addition to his full-time spot at the county. Members of the media tracked Carey down at his business, apparently during normal county operating hours. Carey refused on Wednesday to provide the I-Team with an explanation. A day later, Carey's boss, O'Brien, told us Carey's hours fluctuate and that he's pleased with the job Carey has done. Moving forward, O'Brien said Carey's time card will accurately reflect when Carey is on the job.
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