Fair so far in payroll controversy

Las Vegas Sun ^ | 10/23/03 | editorial

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The city of Las Vegas and Clark County are proceeding properly in their separate investigations of double-dipping by employees who are also members of the Legislature. The issue arose with Assemblyman Wendell Williams, an employee of the city. It has expanded to include Williams' immediate supervisor at the city, Sharon Segerblom, and two employees of Clark County, Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson and Assemblywoman Kathy McClain.

While serving in the 2003 Legislature, Williams put in for and received regular pay from the city that exceeded the hours he actually worked, an investigation by the Las Vegas city manager's office determined. He also received pay from the state for those hours. Additionally, the city's investigation determined that Segerblom did not follow proper procedure in overseeing Williams' payroll claims. The county, meanwhile, determined that Atkinson and McClain violated policy by billing the county for a few days of regular pay and sick pay while on the state payroll.

Early in the investigation by the city manager's office, Williams agreed to repay the city $6,700 for 208 hours that he had claimed but could not subsequently prove he worked. When the investigation was completed, it recommended "appropriate discipline up to and including termination" for both Segerblom and Williams. And following its investigation, the county manager's office scheduled termination proceedings for Atkinson and McLain.

We view the actions so far by both the city and county as fair. With termination a potential outcome, the four employees will have opportunities to state their cases. From there, the city and county will be in a position to make final determinations. The city was also correct in directing the city auditor to investigate payroll claims from past sessions of the Legislature, specifically claims submitted by Assemblyman Morse Arberry when he was a city employee. We are also glad to see that the city and county are working to make their payroll policies crystal clear. Employees who serve in the Legislature, their supervisors and the payroll clerks should all be well aware that double-dipping is an abuse of the public trust.