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Deputy Southampton County Administrator and Chief Financial Officer Lynette C. Lowe noted that there was significant support for changing the delivery timing of December payroll for county employees, which led to the change being implemented this year.

However, some members of the Southampton County Board of Supervisors cited feedback they had received requesting the change be reversed. 

Lowe explained the reason for the change in 2024.

Throughout the year, county employees get paid as of the last day of the month, she said, but for a long time, December had been an exception to this rule. 

“Over a number of years, county employees were paid the week before Christmas,” she said. “They were paid in the middle of December in an effort to give people that money to utilize over Christmas.”

Board of Supervisors Chairman Dr. Alan W. Edwards indicated that this money has proved vital for some to have the funds for Christmas, helping them, for example, pay for items they may have had on layaway.

But Lowe noted that this early payroll delivery created a long interval between paychecks — mid-December to the end of January.

“And so we have had complaints over the years that it was too long in between as far as getting paid,” she said. “And then over the last two years, we have had employees that left after they got the paycheck for the full month of December, and if they were newer employees and if they did not have time accrued on the books, then we did not have a way of recouping that money.

“Now I will tell you we have had a number of employees over the past few years say, ‘I wish we wouldn’t get paid early,’” Lowe continued. “So taking everything into consideration and especially with the last couple of years with the turnover that we have had in some departments, we made a fiscal decision that it is best to just pay at the end of the month and not worry about trying to give money early for Christmas.”

She indicated that the payroll money that will be delivered Dec. 31 will be for the time worked from Dec. 1-31.

“Fiscally it is the most responsible thing to do for the county since we don’t have a way of recouping two weeks’ worth of salary from somebody if they decide to leave, and we’ve had that happen,” she said. 

She noted that the decision to make the payroll timing change came from Southampton County administration, with input from county departments. She said County Administrator Brian S. Thrower has a leadership team meeting each month and the change was brought up at one of those meetings.

“Everyone that was in attendance that day, they were fine with it,” she said.
She indicated that Southampton County Public Schools, Social Services and the county can each decide exactly what day they want payroll to be delivered.

“But I know even Social Services said they wanted to do it at the end of the month this time,” she said.