Last week, I told you that virtually all of Northampton County's nineteen or twenty tipstaffs are paid for 80 hours every pay period, regardless whether they are here. They are paid as hourly, not salaried, employees. Most of them put in twenty or less hours per week. But somebody is filling out time cards giving each of them 80 hours per pay period.Who?
Court Accountant Badaoui Boulous, who takes care of the payroll for judicial employees, referred all questions to his boss, Court Administrator Jim Onembo, who did admit tipstaffs are paid for hours not worked. But I neglected to ask him just who is signing off on those time cards.
Yesterday, I filed a "Right to Know" request with the Court's "Right to Know" officer, Jill Cicero. "I am requesting a copy of the time card submitted for tipstaffs, which I believe are classified as CS8 full-time hourly employees, over the most recent pay period." I told Cicero she could redact social security numbers and only asked for one pay period, but wanted to see those time cards.
After making my request, I bumped into Cicero, and she told me everything I need is at Payroll. I should just go there and get it, if I can.
Payroll, however, has no time cards. Boulous enters all the data, and forwards the payment requests for all judicial employees, including tipstaffs. Interestingly, Payroll tells me Boulous gets his information from Jill Cicero, and they think she has the time cards.
So basically, the very person who told me to go to Payroll may have the time cards herself.
I will renew my request with Cicero today. I think it is important to learn who is authorizing hours that are not worked by County employees.
21 comments:
It is very clear that the County Exec and the Council Prez have no idea what is going on under their watch.
This story is clear evidence that they are not very good at the very jobs they were elected to do.
Is there a way to do a vote of no confidence on them?
Thanks for the information on the ineptness of our leaders Bernie this has opened my eyes to politics.
I will begin my research as to removing these inadequate elected officials from office!!
This was what was predicted when Angle got his puppet John Stoffa elected. Stoffa a decent guy is way over his head in this job. He is no leader and has been floundering for five years.
Angle is looking to screw the Courts, so again Northampton county is considered the South Carolina of Pennsylvania.
What a sad circus.
We'll learn that this tax dollar rip-off scheme predates Stoffa and Angle. Taxpayers have been getting screwed on this for years.
It is a shame to see money being spent on tip staff who are not even there and yet we have the minor courts (Magestrates) being denied security upgrades becasue there is no money. The priorities are all wrong. County Council oversees both but they chose to allow this excess while serious lapses in security in district courts will go unremediated
Why the hell isn't Steve Barron looking into this? Isn't that what the Controller is supposed to do?
What's even worse and I even hate to ask, but did any retired tipstaff get a pension? If so, isn't that illegal as well?
I am told they do get pesions.
Part time personnel are NOT allowed to get pensions. This is the most illegal scam to come out of Northampton County. The law should hold McFadden and Onembo responsible. But who will go after them?
"County Council oversees both..."
No they don't. The President Judge, Judge McFadden, is solely responsible for the judiciary branch in Northampton County, which includes tipstaffs and the minor judiciary offices.
Whoever is currently and, if this predates McFadden and Onumbro, formerly responsible for this, should be held accountable in both a criminal court and a civil court. If people received pensions they did not earn, they should have to give the money back. Period.
Bernie,
Think you've uncovered a scandal and the more you search, the more they'll try to cover it up. Good Work!
Thanks for the information on the ineptness of our leaders Bernie this has opened my eyes to politics.1;11
But is this ineptness or pure and simple fraud?
Anonymous said...
Part time personnel are NOT allowed to get pensions. This is the most illegal scam to come out of Northampton County. The law should hold McFadden and Onembo responsible. But who will go after them?
11:11 AM
Bernie,
We need to copy and paste you so you can find out if this happens in Lehigh County as well.
We're gonna give those crooks in Luzerne a run for their money!
BTW - Where are our vaunted newspapers on this stuff?
"BTW - Where are our vaunted newspapers on this stuff?"
The Morning Call has been decimated, but the Express Times should have run this story. I'm surprised that Sarah Cassi did not run this story yet. It's her beat and she usually is not afraid of big stories like this fraud by the courts. Wonder why she's not writing about it? Who's keeping her quiet? Too many questions.
The truth of the matter is this situation goes back even to the days of Martin Bechtel. These were political plumbs given out when there were few judges and it all flew under the radar. Fact is they are salaried full time positions. The hourly rate is simply a way to feed the computer based on 80 hours per pay period.Their designation was never part time or hourly. This is simply eroneous. Full time employees are eligible for benefits. Whether they work full time is another issue.
These are PT employees who are designated as FT employees to make them eligible for benefits.
Call it what you want, it's still FRAUD.
"The truth of the matter is this situation goes back even to the days of Martin Bechtel. These were political plumbs given out when there were few judges and it all flew under the radar."
You can try to blame a dead man (Bechtel), but McFadden and Onembo perpetuated it and were complacent about it. It did not go under their radar. They just made sure that it was still swept under the rug to benefit their own. Their just like any other criminal organization, they have their own rules that they abide by and not the law.
I again, pose the question, will Morganelli (or Barron) go after the courts with the same zealousness he did with the prison officials that did the same thing? Will anyone investigate the courts?
Morgeneeli is too busy worried about ronangle and running for his next election. 50 % of his office is worried about hard working people who have a couple beers after work. If it was up to him the BAC level would be lowered.
And the DUI situation is one of the reasons council leaves him alone. They don't want to be pulled over after a few martinis in downtown Easton. And dont think it isnt true.
I blame Boooosh.
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