Payroll irregularities lead to suspension of Westmoreland purchasing director, deputy

Aug. 28—Westmoreland County's director of purchasing and his deputy are suspended without pay over allegations they and four staffers were paid for extended workdays without prior approval.

Purchasing Director Kristopher Cardiff and his deputy, Kristen Coyne, have been off the job since Aug. 15 after county commissioners authorized suspensions for both administrators.

The move came after financial staff discovered payroll records with what they characterized as unauthorized pay raises totaling more than $19,500.

County officials claim purchasing department employees were improperly paid for an additional 30 minutes a day for the past year.

The courthouse in Greensburg is open to the public weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. As a result, most employees' pay, including those in the purchasing department, is based on a 6.5-hour workday.

The purchasing department oversees all equipment and supplies acquisitions for the county. It also operates the courthouse mailroom and printing services.

For Cardiff, who earns an annual salary of $70,314, the extra pay amounted to more than $5,300 since last August. Coyne's annual salary is about $47,000, and, according to county records, she received more than $3,600 in additional pay.

The department's four unionized clerks also received additional pay over the past 12 months, according to payroll records from the county controller's office. Those employees were not disciplined, remain on the job and will not have to repay the money, according to Controller Jeffrey Balzer.

Cardiff, who was hired to head the purchasing office in November 2022, continues to serve as Trafford Council president.

Cardiff disputes allegations

In an emailed response to TribLive on Wednesday, he disputed the allegations.

"They are definitely false, and I was completely blindsided and shocked by this entire situation. Up until you contacted me today, I was under the impression that this was an internal personnel issue, and I believed it would be resolved shortly as some type of misunderstanding," Cardiff said.

Cardiff maintained he was directed last year by the county's fiscal director and human resources officer to increase pay for purchasing department employees to accommodate additional delivery service to Department of Human Services staff at locations outside of the courthouse.

In a formal, written response to the county, Cardiff said he mistakenly believed he was authorized to implement pay hikes.

"I absolutely and completely deny that I took any actions with any intention to deceive or defraud the county in any way. No actions I took directly were ever with any intention, awareness or knowledge that they were outside the scope of what I was authorized to do. Theft, as defined by the policies of the county, is an unlawful taking, and I performed no actions which I did not sincerely believe I was authorized and instructed to do by my superiors," he wrote.

County officials declined to discuss the allegations, but Commissioner Ted Kopas confirmed an investigation is ongoing.

Balzer said staff discovered what he termed "irregularities" during a routine review of payroll records this summer.

Balzer and three commissioners serve as the county's salary board, which is responsible for approving employment and salary issues.

According to salary board public meeting records over the past year, no official vote ever was taken to increase purchasing department staff pay. Balzer said Cardiff pitched increasing department pay last summer to reflect an additional 30-minute daily workday, but that proposal never was voted on by the board.

In explaining why it took a year to discover the additional pay for purchasing department employees, Balzer said, "There were a lot of salaries that were bumped up by a half-hour, and we've done that in so many places. It's not like we don't check."

Over the past year, the salary board approved adding up to one additional hour to the workday for administrative staff and other selected staff in the park police, sheriff's, human services, fiscal and behavioral health departments.

The county's fiscal office director is now overseeing the purchasing department.

"I trust that purchasing duties will continue uninterrupted," Kopas said.