European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 30, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday. July 30. 1986 the stars and stripes Page 9 3% raise Likely for Federal civilian workers by Clint Swift Washington Bantu Washington Federal civilian employees including 1 million de sense department employee can look Forward to a 3 percent pay raise nex year. In the House and Senate agreement on budget ceiling for fiscal 1987, Congress served notice about How Large a raise i was prepared to give. The conference agreement assumes 3 percent military and civilian pay raise in january of each year As assumed in the House passed Resolution the con Terence report slated in the congressional record. But the size of the military pay raise is still to be determined. The Senate armed service committee has recommended a 4 percent raise starting oct. I while the House armed services committee has recommended a 3 percent raise begin Ning Jan. 1, the reference Point for Federal civilian pay it an annual Survey by the Bureau of labor statistics comparing Federal pay to private sector pay for the same kind of work. The process includes input from the largest Federal onions. The unions can be counted on to press for a Large raise if the Survey shows As expected that the Gap Between Federal and private sector pay ii about 20 per cent. In recent Yean. Congress has virtually preempted the process by staling in the budget Resolution How much Money in is willing to provide to fund a raise. Last year there was no raise. The president who makes a recommendation to Congress is not bound by the Survey findings. He can recommend an alternative plan if he state that the economic interest of the nation requires it the administration is expected 10 reject the Survey findings asserting As it has in the past that in does t show a True picture of what most americans earn. The administration has complained that the Survey concentrates on Large firms where pay is Likely to be relatively High. This year president Reagan ii expected to implement a 3 percent raise by announcing a plan that matches the Bud get Resolution a pay expert in the office of personnel management said Friday. The president s budget proposal but february recommended a 3 percent raise for Federal civilian employees. Federal personnel costs run about $30 billion annually government figures show. Persona income Rose just 1.1% in first Quarter Washington a hard time in Energy and farm states held Back personal income growth during the first three months of the year with residents of Oil Rich Alaska faring the wont the government says. The Commerce department monday said in comes Rose by a modest 1.1 percent nationwide from january through March but residents of 1 0states suffered declines in personal incomes. Hardest hit was Alaska where incomes took a 9 percent plunge from Weir level in the final three months of i98s. The government blamed declines in Oil exploration which Cut into employment by Energy companies and reduced stale tax revenues. Siwe january 1 1 5,000 jobs have been lost ipod and Gas states As companies have Cut Back sharply on drilling plans because of the dramatic tall m Oil prices. Farm incomes which have been depressed by Large crap intr plus dropped even further Dur ing the ant three months of the year led by a 6.1 percent decline in incomes for resident of North Dakota one of eight farm Luies to suffer declines in earnings during the first three months of the year. The state with the biggest income gain during the period was West Virginia with a 3.5 percent increase followed by Virginia new Hampshire and Maine All with 2.4 percent advances. The  percent Overall increase was Down from a 1 .9 percent Rise in the final three months of 1985and was the weakest showing since a 0.5 percent Rise in the jury september Quarter last year. The smaller income gain looked belter How Ever when viewed with the Good Newt on inflation during the period. With consumer prices falling at a 1.9 percent annual rate during the first three month of the year americans in comes went further. The big gains in West Virginia and Virginia were attributed to a rebound from extensive Hurricane and flood damage but fill. The Strong income growth in new Hampshire and Maine came from the Region s booming High technology and defense related industries. The is new England slates enjoyed a combined income increase Kansas Down ii percent Iowa Down a percent Minnesota and Idaho both Down 0.6 percent and Illinois Down 0.4 percent. The i oth state suffering an income decline was Oklahoma where personal incomes fell by 03  the weakness in the Oil  states with Strong income gains were artems up 2.3 percent South Carolina and Mortana both with 2.2 percent gains and ver son Rhode Island Mississippi and Nevada All with 2 percent increases. User s fees at military hospitals could raise up to $1.5 billion by Cunt Swift Washington Bureau Washington the Pentagon could raise up to$1.3 billion Over five years by charging retirees end family members up to Jio for out patient care at de sense department Medica facilities a general accounting office report states. The Pentagon opposed the idea bul in response Lothe report the assistant Secretary of defense for health attain. Or. William Mayer said the idea will be Stu died during the next fiscal year. The report issued this month was made in response to a request by sen. Daniel Inouye a Hawaii. Inouye asked the congressional watchdog Agency to look into How much Revenue could be generated by a user fee the extent to which beneficiaries were unnecessarily using military outpatient treatment and How High i charge would be necessary to make the Cost of treatment to the patient he same As that in a civilian facility under the civilian health and medical pro Gram of the uniformed services champs. We estimate that if a $5 user fee had been imposed in focal year 1984, net Revenue of Between $231million and 5467 million could have been generated for the five fiscal year period 1984-88, depending on the workload unit on which the fee was imposed the Gao study said. We estimate that a s10 fee would have produced net Revenue of Between $700 million and $1.5 billion for the same  the wide Range of estimate is due to a difference inthe Way that patients and the Pentagon View visits to the doctor the Gao said. The study said the Dod Cost accounting system counts a physical that causes a patient to visit four clinic As four visits while a patient probably regards a physical a a single visit the Revenue estimates were based on a 1983 do figure of 30 minion outpatient visit to military clinics. Trie $5 and s10 fees were suggested in appropriation Bills during 1982 and 1983. The study did not attempt to answer Inouye s ques Tion about unnecessary outpatient visits because there is no consensus on what an unnecessary visit is the report stated. Visit about said. The figure was based on a champs estimate of $78 As the average Overall Cost of champs outpatient visit in fiscal 1983, the most recent year for which enough information was available. Champs said patients paid an average $30 of that if Only the co insurance rate the patients pay for a champs visit were applied to the $78 annual Cost the patient col might be u Low As j16, the study said. The Pentagon opposed the feet believing they would Hurt people financially and perhaps keep the from seeking care when they needed it but could no afford it. Officials told the Gao the feet would harm morale recruiting retention and readiness bul offered no data to support the claim the report stated. Windfall fades for town picked to Hove pm s Saturn car Plant Spring Hill Tenn. A a year ago Spring Hill cheered after general motors corp. Chose the Small town for its planned Saturn car Plant but Thil year the Windfall does t look As Rosy officials say. Mayor George Jones says the stale has railed to keep promises that helped attract the $3.5 billion Plant to the town of 1,100 residents 30 Miles South of Nashville. We re caught in a predicament that we re a Small town we re a Small government and the big tub Al ways eat the Littky one Jonet said. Spring Hill is the borne of the largest one time corporate investment in . History bul the town needs better roads More water and schools to Cope with the influx of the Plant s 6,000 employee and their families Jonet said. More important he said it needs More Money. Our funds will last another couple of months and then Well be out in the  the controversy comes even before pm hat set a Date to begin construction. The company officials Are following up on their part Jones Laid. The state s the one that made All the promises that did t come  pm already has paid Spring Hill $ 125.000 in lieu of taxes but Jones said the Money has gone to hire Legal counsel and five new police officers buy new police cruisers and pay for a new City Hall. The mayor blames stale economic and Community development commissioner William h. Long for Man of the town s problems including its inability to Gela slate Grant to put in a sidewalk for schoolchildren. We re being put of because commissioner Long i mad at me because i pushed the Issue to make them stand behind their Promise. He s taking it out on the people because 1 stood up to him Jones said. After the site was chosen the mayor threatened to Annex the 2,000-acre properly if Spring Hill did not get its thai of in Tieu of lax payments. Pm threatened Gofind another location. The company eventually agreed to pay Spring Hill $250,000 in each of the next 40 Yean plus $1.7 Mil lion in capital funds to upgrade roads and other City service. Long would not comment directly on Jonet charges saying thing Are progressing on  he said the state bad allotted $50 million for roads and $20 million to train the Saturn workers. The mate announced plan last year for Saturn Park Way a $29.3 million four Lane Access Road connecting interstate 61 with the Plant obviously people Are going through a great change in Spring Hilt and they expect the roads to be built the Day after they re announced said transportation commissioner Dale Kelley. It does t work  pm has said the Plant will take three years to build bul the company has not announced a construction schedule said spokeswoman Laurie Kay. Crew spent the summer Clearing the site. The car design also has remained a closely guarded secret. Priced at under $ 10,000, the Datum is aimed at recapturing the Market being taken Over by Nissan Toyota Honda and other foreign automates pm chairman Roger b. Smith a said he intends to drive away the first Datum before he retires. Returns 65 on july 12,1990