Leaders to Vote on Biweekly Pay for State Employees

A plan to switch thousands of state employees from twice-monthly to biweekly pay could resume soon.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the change to biweekly pay is pending the outcome of a vote Wednesday by the Enterprise Resource Planning board. Approval by the board — made up of the governor, treasurer and auditor — would permit the transfer of most state employees to biweekly pay beginning in May.

The board had voted in November to put the second phase of the switch to biweekly pay on hold.

State employees have complained that they will be shorted pay in the transition year. Legislative leaders say the new system overpays employees by providing an extra 27th paycheck roughly once every 11 years.

Auditor Glen Gainer says the change will eliminate timekeeping errors, and errors in calculating overtime and leave time.