BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore County government improperly paid at least 20 employees both salaries and pensions at the same time despite a county law that prohibits it in most cases, the county’s inspector general said in a report.
The report found county employees were paid more than $1 million in salaries through Oct. 1 and more than $2.3 million in pension benefits through Sept. 30, the Baltimore Sun reported. Most of the employees formerly worked for the county and were rehired from 2018 to 2020, according to the report, which also said the most recent rehire was in September.
“The Office considers the simultaneous payments of salaries and pension benefits to these employees as waste to the County … ,” according to the report by Inspector General Kelly Madigan. It also cited a lack of communication between the county’s human resources and retirement offices, which it says can lead to inconsistencies in how rules are applied.
County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., a Democrat, said in a statement that the county “will work quickly to address the issue to improve accountability, reduce government waste, and provide cost savings to taxpayers.” A spokesman for Olszewski said the county will not seek to recoup money from the employees.
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