A state audit has found that the Town of Elbridge in Onondaga County failed to maintain proper payroll and leave records, overpaid employees, and lacked formal authorization for thousands of dollars in incentive payments and benefits.
The review, released in March by the Office of the New York State Comptroller, found significant gaps in how town officials documented employee hours and managed paid time off. Among the problems: salaried employees were not required to fill out timesheets, leave balances were incorrectly tracked, and a part-time official received a $2,000 incentive—twice the amount authorized by the town board.
Auditors found that seven salaried employees earning a combined $238,569 in 2024 did not provide documentation for their time worked or leave used. The town’s employee handbook did not require them to do so, even though benefits eligibility depended on working a minimum of 35 hours a week. Two hourly workers also failed to submit timesheets entirely.
Additional issues arose with payroll calculations. The town used a flawed method of dividing salaries by 26 to calculate biweekly payments, failing to account for years with 27 pay periods. That oversight could cost the town approximately $20,000 in excess payroll in 2024 alone, the audit found.
Meanwhile, leave accruals were poorly tracked. In nearly half of the cases reviewed, employees were either over-credited or under-credited with vacation, sick, and holiday leave. In some cases, unused personal leave was not properly converted or deducted, and employees received vacation time in advance of their eligibility dates.
The audit also flagged payments made without formal board approval, including a $2,600 annual health insurance buyout to the town clerk and a $2,000 “worker retention incentive” to a part-time code enforcement officer who was only eligible for $1,000. Officials could not produce documentation to show the board had approved either payment.
Town officials generally agreed with the audit’s findings and pledged corrective action. The Comptroller’s Office issued nine recommendations, including requiring all employees to submit timesheets, reviewing leave balances regularly, and ensuring payroll is calculated and paid accurately in line with board-approved policies.
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