Mount Vernon City Employees Find Themselves Unable To Cash Paychecks
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Pay day is usually a happy day – especially before a long weekend – but such was not the case for some city employees in Mount Vernon Friday.
As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, the employees' checks bounced when they tried to cash them.
Cellphone video showed what Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas said was an employee trying to cash a check on pay day – and getting frustrated about it.
Thomas said several employees tried to cash their checks and were not able to do so Friday.
"To wake up this morning and come into work and be told that police, fire, public works all are receiving bounced checks – it's unacceptable," Thomas said.
The problem, according to Thomas, stems from the comptroller's office and Comptroller Maureen Walker, which handles payroll for the City of Mount Vernon.
"Maureen Walker is mismanaging the money and using a handwritten system to process a thousand paychecks," Thomas said.
Walker was quick to fire back.
"Totally inaccurate, totally," she said.
Walker said the issue began with the bank trying to upload millions of dollars from a wire transfer issued by Walker's office on Thursday.
"I've spoken to bank officials; have said that the upload was not processed in time by the bank," she said.
As for the claims that she refuses to update a technology-based system, Walker said, "lf you're doing direct deposit, that's electronic."
Walker said 80 percent of employees use direct deposit, and of the ones who do not, she said only 12 had an issue Friday morning.
"There was a timing issue," she said. "You had to wait a little to have your check cashed."
Walker said the problem was resolved well before noon. The claims that she cannot handle the job, she said, are a political ploy by the mayor.
"His idea is to demonize me because I am running this year," she said.
Walker is up for reelection in September.