Eighteen Atlanta employees must have thought they won the lottery when the city installed its new payroll software.

On Jan. 4, the group mistakenly got paid $375,000 — about $371,000 more than was legitimate — because someone inadvertently coded the mileage reimbursement rate at $40 per mile instead of 40 cents.

Auditors found three months later that seven still had not repaid. Today, two still owe the city a total of nearly $40,000.

Officials said some employees have been reprimanded but no one has been fired.

"I was astonished," city auditor Leslie Ward said. "I don't know how else to describe it. This seems like it would have to be some violation of employee conduct, ethics or law."

The January overpayments varied from $100 to $52,283.

Fifteen employees overpaid are in the Department of Watershed Management. Two are in public works, and one in parks. Several employees got a single mileage reimbursement check that represented more than six months' salary.

Daniel F. McCrary, a public works employee earning about $31,000 a year, got paid $31,088.50 in one January check, records show. Officials say they are still trying to collect $30,777.62.

Mark T. Azar, the other employee who still owes money, earns nearly $51,000 a year as part of Watershed Management's sewer rehabilitation team, records show. Azar got almost $17,000 in mileage money and still owes about $9,800, records show. Attempts to reach Azar and McCrary Thursday night were unsuccessful.