State auditor: Cuyahoga County made 'illegal' payments to employees

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The administration of Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish illegally awarded $63,000 in incentives to eight county employees, including a $15,000 bonus to a high-ranking official, the Ohio auditor reported Tuesday.

The audit of the county’s 2017 finances also found the county paid another 10 employees $4,532 that they had not earned, and cited five material weaknesses in the county’s accounting practices.

A news release from Auditor Dave Yost states that all of the employees who received improper payments have repaid the money or are in the process of repaying.

The illegal payments relate to a policy introduced by Budish and Chief Talent Office Douglas Dykes in 2016 and 2017. They used the new policy to give certain employees lump-sum signing bonuses, and other types of compensation.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2018/12/state-auditor-cuyahoga-county-made-illegal-payments-to-employees.html