Changes Not Automatic, But May Come

However, the changes to the standard metropolitan zones will not automatically mean changes in the GS locality system, under a Federal Register notice published April 22. Changes in the locality pay boundaries are made on recommendation of the President’s Pay Agent-the heads of OMB, the Labor Department and the Office of Personnel Management-typically following recommendations of a separate advisory group, the Federal Salary Council, which is made up of agency, union and outside compensation experts. Employees working close to several of the 31 specific metropolitan zones used for GS locality pay purposes have asked in recent years to be attached to those areas, but no new localities have been added since 1998. However, OMB’s redrawing of the boundary lines could give new impetus-and justification-for those efforts. The Federal Register notice indicated that the Pay Agent and the Salary Council would “review new metropolitan area definitions and new commuting patterns and other data from the 2000 census.” The new boundary lines might eventually also affect wage grade employees, who work under a separate locality system with more than 130 localities.