Sutter checks lack signature

It was an oversight by his office Friday when 200 Sutter County employees received unsigned paychecks, according to Auditor-Controller Robert Stark.

The oversight affected about one-fifth of employees whose checks are not deposited electronically at their banks.

County Administrator Larry Combs said Stark's office has made the same mistake once or twice before.

“Apparently there's something missing” in Stark's office, said Combs.

Some banks accepted the checks, said Stark, but others might not.

“It depends on the policy of the bank,” he said.

Combs said some banks are rejecting the checks. The last time it happened, he said, some employees had to pay a charge to their banks.

“It seems kind of unusual to have this kind of issue. It causes disruption to the employees,” said Combs.

Stark said a machine stamped his signature on checks until about three years ago but became obsolete. Since then, employees in his office have hand-stamped his signature. But last week some employees were on vacation and the task was not done, he said.

When the error was discovered after checks were distributed at 11 a.m., Stark said, he went to different departments and personally signed checks. Some of his employees went to other departments and stamped his signature, he said.

Stark said the oversight is related to a staff shortage in his office.

“I don't want to sound like I'm trying to place the blame somewhere else, but we work with a system that has many parts. We've been trying to make improvements for many years, and they haven't been made yet,” he said.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Rob Young can be reached at 749-4710. You may e-mail him at ryoung@appeal-democrat.com.