Prevailing rate systems,

[Federal Register: December 27, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 247)]

[Proposed Rules]

[Page 72292-72293]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr27de99-35]

Proposed Rules Federal Register

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

[[Page 72292]]

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

5 CFR Part 532

RIN 3206-AI95

Prevailing Rate Systems; Redefinition of the Southern and Western Colorado Appropriated Fund Wage Areas

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Proposed rule with request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management is issuing a proposed rule that would redefine Eagle, Garfield, Lake, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties, Colorado, from the Southern and Western Colorado appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage area to the area of application of the Denver wage area, and redefine Mesa County, CO, from the Southern and Western Colorado FWS wage area to the area of application of the Utah FWS wage area. In addition, we propose to change the name of the Southern and Western Colorado FWS wage area to Southern Colorado.

The redefinition of Eagle, Garfield, Lake, Mesa, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties, CO, would more accurately reflect the regulatory criteria used to define FWS wage areas. The change in the wage area name to the Southern Colorado FWS wage area would more accurately describe the geographic coverage of the redefined wage area.

DATES: Comments must be received by January 26, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Assistant Director for Compensation Administration, Workforce Compensation and Performance Service, Office of Personnel Management, Room 7H31, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-8200, or FAX: (202) 606-4264.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Hopkins by phone at (202) 606-2848, by FAX at (202) 606-0824, or by email at jdhopkin@opm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is engaged in an ongoing project to review the geographic definitions of selected appropriated fund Federal Wage System (FWS) wage areas. The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee (FPRAC), the national labor- management committee responsible for advising OPM on matters concerning the pay of FWS employees, has recommended by consensus that we redefine Eagle, Garfield, Lake, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties, Colorado, from the Southern and Western Colorado appropriated fund FWS wage area to the area of application of the Denver FWS wage area, and redefine Mesa County, CO, from the Southern and Western Colorado FWS wage area to the area of application of the Utah FWS wage area. After careful consideration of FPRAC's recommendations, and based on the regulatory criteria for defining FWS wage areas, we have found that it is appropriate to redefine these counties. In addition, FPRAC recommended that the name of the Southern and Western Colorado wage area be changed to Southern Colorado. Although FPRAC carefully considered the possibility of recommending other changes in the Southern and Western Colorado FWS wage area, the Committee did not find that additional changes would be appropriate at this time.

Section 532.211 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, lists the following criteria for consideration when OPM defines FWS wage area boundaries:

(i) Distance, transportation facilities, and geographic features;

(ii) Commuting patterns; and

(iii) Similarities in overall population employment, and the kinds and sizes of private industrial establishments.

The Southern and Western Colorado wage area continues to meet all regulatory requirements to remain a separate wage area. There are currently about 1,800 FWS workers in the wage area. The wage area's host activity, the United States Air Force Academy, still has the capacity to host annual local wage surveys. In addition, local wage surveys in the Southern and Western Colorado survey area find more than sufficient local private industry wage data to satisfy the regulatory criteria for FWS wage survey adequacy under 5 CFR 532.239.

Based on an analysis of the regulatory criteria for defining FWS wage areas, FPRAC found sufficient rationale to recommend that OPM redefine Eagle, Garfield, Lake, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties to the Denver wage area. The distance criterion for these counties favored the Denver wage area more than the Southern and Western Colorado wage area. The transportation facilities and geographic features criteria for these counties strongly favored the Denver wage area because the most favorable route by road from these counties goes through the present Denver wage area before reaching the Southern and Western Colorado survey area. All other criteria studied did not favor one wage area more than another.

For Mesa County, CO, the distance to the closest city criterion favored the Utah wage area, while the distance to the closest host installation criterion favored the Denver wage area. The transportation facilities and geographic features criteria favored the Utah wage area. The kinds and sizes of industry and population criteria also favored the Utah wage area. All other criteria studied had indeterminate findings. An additional factor taken into consideration for Mesa County was that the Colorado National Monument, located in Mesa County, is administratively in the same National Park Service region as most of the National Parks in Utah. Arches National Park is defined to the Utah wage area and is located just across the State line from the Colorado National Monument. Based on the regulatory criteria analysis and because of the organizational relationships and geographic proximity of National Park Service facilities in the region, FPRAC recommended that we place the Colorado National Monument in the same wage area as the Arches National Park.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

I certify that these regulations would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they would affect only Federal agencies and employees.

List of Subjects in 5 CFR Part 532

Administrative practice and procedure, Freedom of information, Government employees, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Wages.

[[Page 72293]]

Office of Personnel Management. Janice R. Lachance, Director.

Accordingly, the Office of Personnel Management proposes to amend 5 CFR part 532 as follows:

PART 532--PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS

1. The authority citation for part 532 continues to read as follows:

   Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5343, 5346; Sec. 532.707 also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552.

2. Appendix A to subpart B of part 532 is amended for the State of Colorado by removing the wage area listing for ``Southern & Western Colorado'' and adding alphabetically in its place a listing for ``Southern Colorado''.

3. Appendix C to subpart B is amended by revising the wage area listings for Denver, Colorado, and Utah, and by removing the wage area listing for Southern & Western Colorado and adding in its place a listing of Southern Colorado to read as follows:

   Appendix C to Subpart B of Part 532--Appropriated Fund Wage and Survey Areas

   * * * * *

   Colorado

   Denver

   Survey Area

   Colorado:

   Adams

   Arapahoe

   Boulder

   Denver

   Douglas

   Gilpin

   Jefferson

   Area of Application. Survey area plus:

   Colorado:

   Clear Creek

   Eagle

   Elbert

   Garfield

   Grand

   Jackson

   Lake

   Larimer

   Logan

   Morgan

   Park

   Phillips

   Pitkin

   Rio Blanco

   Routt

   Sedgwick

   Summit

   Washington

   Weld

   Yuma

   Southern Colorado

   Survey Area

   Colorado:

   El Paso

   Pueblo

   Teller

   Area of Application. Survey area plus:

   Colorado:

   Alamosa

   Archuleta

   Baca

   Bent

   Chaffee

   Cheyenne

   Conejos

   Costilla

   Crowley

   Custer

   Delta

   Dolores

   Fremont

   Gunnison

   Hinsdale

   Huerfano

   Kiowa

   Kit Carson

   Las Animas

   Lincoln

   Mineral

   Montrose

   Otero

   Ouray

   Pitkin

   Prowers

   Rio Grande

   Saguache

   San Juan

   San Miguel * * * * *

   Utah

   Survey Area

   Utah:

   Box Elder

   Davis

   Salt Lake

   Tooele

   Utah

   Weber

   Area of Application. Survey area plus:

   Utah:

   Beaver

   Cache

   Carbon

   Daggett

   Duchesne

   Emery

   Garfield

   Grand

   Iron

   Juab

   Millard

   Morgan

   Piute

   Rich

   San Juan (Only includes the Canyonlands National Park portion.)

   Sanpete

   Sevier

   Summit

   Uintah

   Wasatch

   Washington

   Wayne Colorado:

   Mesa

   Moffat

   [FR Doc. 99-33364Filed12-23-99; 8:45 am]

   BILLING CODE 6325-01-U