Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has appointed Lisa Hopkins as state auditor.
The Democratic governor announced the appointment Friday.
Hopkins has worked for the auditor’s office since 1999 and has served as general counsel and deputy commissioner of securities since 2001.
She has a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College at Columbia University and a law degree from Boston University.
She replaces longtime Auditor Glen Gainer.
The 56-year-old Gainer announced in December that he wouldn’t seek re-election this year. He later announced that he’d resign May 14 for a job with the National White Collar Crime Center.
He first won the four-year auditor job in 1992. His father served as state auditor from 1976 to 1992.
Democrat Mary Ann Claytor faces Republican JB McCuskey in the November election for the auditor job.
West Virginia State Auditor Glen Gainer will resign from his position earlier than expected.
Longtime State Auditor Glen Gainer announced Thursday he will be stepping down from his position on May 14 to take a job with a Virginia-based nonprofit group.
The 56-year-old had announced in December he would not seek re-election this year but planned to serve out the rest of his term, which would have ended in January 2017.
In a statement Thursday, Governor Tomblin thanked Gainer for his years of public service. Gainer has served as State Auditor since 1993.
In recent months, Gainer had taken heat from state lawmakers over the transition to a bi-weekly pay system for state employees. A legislative audit said the change would result in an extra paycheck for employees every 11 years.
Tomblin must appoint a replacement to finish-out Gainer’s term.
Cost concerns have delayed the state’s switch to issuing paychecks biweekly instead of semi-monthly.
Legislative auditors say the payroll change would give employees an additional paycheck once every 11 years. The extra pay would cost an estimated $55 million.
The switchover began earlier this year at several state agencies, along with the governor’s, auditor’s and treasurer’s offices. The switchover for other agencies was scheduled in December.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the state Enterprise Resource Planning Board voted on Monday to delay the next wave to allow time to address the concerns.
Auditor Glen Gainer objected to the delay. He said it will complicate calculations of pensions and leave times, which will cost taxpayers money.
A legislative review of the state’s new employee pay schedule found the state will be paying an additional $50 million over the next ten years to salaried employees because of a computing error.
Credit Perry Bennett / West Virginia Legislative Photography
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West Virginia Legislative Photography
Legislative Auditor Aaron Allread before the Post Audits Subcommittee.
As West Virginia transitions to WV Oasis, a streamlined computer processing system that will be used by government agencies statewide, state employees are moving to a new pay schedule. Many agencies have already transitioned to the bi-weekly schedule, meaning instead of 24 paychecks per year, employees will receive 26.
But in the conversion process, Legislative Auditor Aaron Allred told the Post Audits Subcommittee some 24,000 salaried employees will actually receive an annual pay increase of between $200 and $400 because of a calculation error.
Over the next ten years, Allred said, the change will cost the state some $50 million in additional employee pay.
State Auditor Glen Gainer said by streamlining the payroll process, the state will see a larger savings than the money it will pay out from the computing error. The state’s consulting firm on the Oasis project estimates West Virginia agencies could save $4.5 million per year under the system.
“I believe those savings will be closer to $10 million per year,” Gainer to the committee Sunday.
Senate President Bill Cole, a member of the committee, was unhappy with the overpaying of employees, despite the savings predicted under the new system. Cole was adamant during the meeting about finding a way to pay employees their agreed to salaries under the new system.
Credit Perry Bennett / West Virginia Legislative Photography
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West Virginia Legislative Photography
Auditor Glen Gainer before the legislative Post Audits Subcommittee.
During the next few months, lawmakers will discuss their options on dealing with the pay schedule transitions. They could return to the 24-paycheck schedule, redefine the number of work days in a year in state code, or leave the system the same and pay the additional salaries, among other options.
The issue is expected to be taken up during the 2016 legislative session. Until then, Allred is recommending the state postpone the second wave of pay schedule changes which are planned for November.
Republican state Del. JB McCuskey will challenge Democratic West Virginia Auditor Glen Gainer in 2016.
McCuskey announced his auditor bid Tuesday at the Capitol.
The Charleston attorney won his House of Delegates seat in 2012 and was re-elected last year.
Gainer has opened an account to raise re-election money.
Gainer first won the four-year auditor job in 1992 and was subsequently re-elected.
He retained the seat after losing a congressional challenge against Republican Rep. David McKinley last year.
There are no term limits for state auditor.
In other statewide races, Senate President Bill Cole is the GOP’s lead candidate for governor. Billionaire Jim Justice and Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler are running on the Democratic side.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is seeking re-election and doesn’t have a Democratic challenger yet.
