A new $30 million computer system at the Colorado Department of Transportation is anything but user-friendly and might never operate as a paperless system, as intended, lawmakers were told Tuesday.

Russ George, who inherited the system when he became transportation director in January, told the Audit Committee that the department is working to correct the payroll problems.

About 200 CDOT workers went to the state Capitol two weeks ago to complain that they had not been paid their overtime for working during December and January's blizzards.

"People are entitled to be paid what they've earned," George said.

George appeared before the Audit Committee as part of a routine review of the agency's operation's last year under a different director and a different governor.

That's when he was peppered with questions about the new computer system, which CDOT rolled out Nov. 1 despite objections from some staffers that it was problem-plagued.

"It's meant to be state of the art," George said. "The system was not user-friendly and did not work."

Under state law, overtime earned in one month isn't paid until the next month. That's why the department didn't learn until December there were problems with employees getting their overtime and shift differential pay, CDOT officials said.

About the same time, blizzards rocked Colorado, with road crews working round the clock.

About 80 percent of the problem turned out to be inadequate training, and about 20 percent had to do with coding.

The system also required staffers who had never used a computer before to punch in their payroll sheets or work orders.

Sen. Jack Taylor, R-Steamboat Springs, who initiated the questions, said he began receiving calls from frustrated CDOT workers in December.

"It was snowing a bunch. These big, burly guys - and some ladies - run heavy equipment. They were told they've got to go in and punch (their payroll) in. They'd rather be out there running equipment," he said.

CDOT realizes that was a problem. Some employees have returned to filling time sheets by hand, which trained workers then enter into the system. George said the dual system might become permanent.

All but about 50 employees with overtime issues in November and December have been taken care of. Half are still owed the rest of their overtime, and the other half were overpaid overtime.

bartels@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5327