European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 11, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes wednesday August 11,1993 future of civilian pay raises in doubt despite Bill signing by Chuck. Vinc Washington Bureau Washington the budget Bill that president Clinton signed tuesday also contains a 2.2 percent raise for Federal employees effective Jan. 1, and puts on track the first phase of expanded stateside locality pay. 4 but either raise or both of them could disappear Over the next few weeks because the administration has not factored them into its fiscal 1994 budget. That Means that either Congress must appropriate additional Money to cover the costs or Federal agencies have to look for offsetting cuts within their existing budgets. People in Congress Are definitely in a mood to Cut so additional appropriations will be a Tough sell said a staff aide with the House Post office and civil service committee which oversees Federal employee compensation issues. And the extent to which agencies can afford to cover either or both raises out of their own pockets is very much in  the Outlook is brighter for military personnel. They Are virtually assured of receiving the 2.2 per cent raise because the House and Senate armed serv ices committees both have approved it and have ear marked specific offsetting cuts within the Overall defense budget to pay for it. Meanwhile civil service and military retirees will fee the bite of the Law. Under it military retirees will receive their Cost of living allowance adjustment next april 1, instead of Jan. 1, and starting oct. 1 from 1995 through 1998. Civil service and foreign service retirees will receive their cola adjustments april 1 in fiscal 1994, 1995and 1996. The Law also eliminates the Lump sum retirement option for Federal workers which was first offered in 1986. The option will not be available for employee who retire after oct. 1,1994. Clinton had wanted to freeze pay for Federal worker Sand military personnel in fiscal 1994, and sought to delay the Start of expanded locality pay As part of his deficit cutting package. 26th area support group gets new commander Heidelberg Germany is col. John t. Revelle assumed command of the Heidelberg based 26th area support group in a 10 . Cer Emony tuesday at the Campbell Barracks Parade grounds. Revelle a native of Ardmore okla., did t even have to leave town to take on his new duties. He served most recently us chief of the base operations division in the office of the Deputy chief of staff for logistics . Army Europe Headquarters. Revelle holds a Bachelor s degree and a Mas Ter s degree in business administration. He joined the army in 1970. He replaces col. James b. Stafford who is moving to an assignment with xviii airborne corps at fort Bragg n.c., after two years As support group commander. Under Stafford the support group s territory included the Heidelberg Heilbronn Karlsruhe Mannheim and Worms areas. The Heilbronn Community closed recently but the commander s Job won t be easier for Revelle. A pending sup port group reorganization will add the Kaiserslautern Miessau and Pir Masens to his. Jurisdiction oct. 1, according to the Heidelberg Herald Post the Community newspaper. Also v corps head quarters is scheduled to move from Frankfurt to Heidelberg in 1994. American arrested by serbs Belgrade Yugoslavia a an american citizen was arrested on the bulgarian yugoslav Border after ser Bian customs officials found 3 pounds of heroin hidden in his suitcase local Media reported tuesday. Lewis Russell of Chicago was arrested on an International train crossing from Bulgaria into Serbia the main re Public remaining in Yugoslavia. Serbian customs officials found the heroin beneath a false Bottom of the suitcase the reports said. Congress defied him on those issues in completing its budget reconciliation Bill last week by including the. Planned 2.2 percent Federal pay raise and the expansion of locality pay. Locality pay is meant to compensate Federal employees in High Cost stateside areas by closing the Gap be tween their salaries and those of comparable workers in the private sector. Despite not getting All he had wanted on Federal compensation issues Clinton signed the Bill designed to reduce the budget deficit by $496 billion Over five years. In terms of the bigger picture the president was no going to hold up legislation that deals with almost $500 billion Over several years just because this one provi Sion did t work out the Way he would have preferred said an official with the White House office of management and budget. Still no one has figured out How to pay for either civilian raise. If forced to accommodate cloth raises out of existing budgets Federal agencies May have to resort to mass layoffs and furloughs next fiscal year some thing that lawmakers Are unlikely to allow. No one on Capitol Hill thinks firings or furloughs Are Good ideas the House aide said. It would wreak havoc on the government s ability to function. But something s got to  he said lawmakers generally think Federal agencies probably will be unable to pay for both raises out of existing funds. If it came Down to a Choice Between the Normal raise or the locality pay boost lawmakers would put More emphasis on the latter. At hearings in the Spring there was a Clear Consen sus from  and the employee unions that locality pay was priority number one and Congress has taken that message to heart the aide said. If locality pay is approved and the regular pay raise is scrapped overseas civilians will be the big losers since locality pay is strictly a stateside compensation tool. The locality pay program already has taken effect in the new York Chicago and los Angeles areas but the administration consistently has sought to delay its expansion to other areas. No comment Given on harassment claims by Black librarian Forth Germany is the commander of the 416th base support in will not comment on harassment claims made by a Black librarian in or Langen. It. Col. James Ishmael who last week said he would respond this week to written questions about the Issue replied tuesday with a no com ment for now through the Public affairs office of the 99th area support group. Both organization shave Headquarters at William o. Darby Cavern in Firth. Dolores Randall Ruger was told in june1991 that her contract As librarian at Ferris bar Racks in or Langon would not be extended. She filed an equal employment Opportunity claim and was returned to her Job almost two months ago. According to Ruger the harassment since he return to work has included Telephone Calls to Check on her Progress and whereabouts during he recent in processing Lack of an invitation to the grand opening of new Library quarters at Darby Cavern and placement under the temporary supervision of the woman who originally failed to extend her contract. Appliance Sale scheduled at sch Dubisch Hall today Nurnberg Germany is the defense Recti ligation and marketing office will hold an appliance Sale today in hangar 463 at Dolan Barracks in Schwabish Hall. The Sale is from 10 . To 1 ., and the first hour is re served for id card holders Only. Merchandise will be sold As is without warranty and is to be paid for with Cash. Pur chases must be removed by 3  On the Day of the Sale. Items for Sale include washers dryers refrigerators and ranges. All appliances Are 220 volts. For More information Call James r. Jones at the . Army Europe s Engineer logistics Center in Giessen at Dan 343-7015 or civilian 0641-402-7015. Military Dod personnel in Italy to  Italy Bureau Aviano a. Italy . Military and defense department personnel stationed in Italy no longer have to pay annual taxes to the italian government for using televisions and radios. However the word has not reached authorities at All . Military installations in Italy and some americans Are still paying the taxes particularly those on car radios. The taxes amounting to 148,000 lire about $92 for televisions and up to 58,750 lire about $36 for car radios have Long been in Force. But attempts by italian authorities to collect them notably the to taxes have been sporadic. Obtaining tax Relief for american military and de sense department personnel was t easy said . Navy capt. . Bowma chief of the sending state office at the . Embassy in Rome. It was t a thing where you flip a switch and it Hap pens Bowman said in a Telephone interview. Bowman s office deals with issues involving the stat us of forces agreement which governs the presence of the . Military and civilian component forces in Italy and other countries. The end to the to tax stemmed from a change in the Way the italian finance ministry interpreted the tax Bowman said. Ministry officials had Long viewed the tax As a service fee for regulation of the airwaves. Some italians challenged that viewpoint in a class action suit against the italian government and won. As a result the finance ministry changed its interpretation of the tax to that Ofa property tax Bowman said. Because the stylus of forces agreement betwee Italy Anil the United states says that . Forces stationed in Italy Are exempt from property taxes Bow Man s office requested the finance ministry to absolve americans associated with the . Military from pay ing the tax. Italian officials granted the tax Relief and Bowman s office notified . Military installations of that decision May 28. Base officials were to inform americans who received a to tax Bill to bring it to base Legal offices for Resolution. Base Legal assistance offices help clients fill out a form stating that the recipient of the Bill is exempt from the tax because of the status of forces agreement. The form is notarized and sent to italia authorities. The to tax covers All televisions and radios in a household and is assessed annually. While the question of whether americans have to pay the to tax has been resolved confusion lingers Over continued payments of a tax on car radios. This tax is collected during annual car registrations. The car radio tax usually is collected at . Military vehicle registration offices by employees of Aci the italian automobile club on behalf of italian customs authorities. The car radio tax is associated with an an Nual customs exemption and registration document for which car owners pay about $55. Aci deducts a fee for handling the car radio and car registration paperwork and passes the remainder to the italian finance ministry said Mark Oswald chief of civil Law for the . Army s Southern european task Force in Vicenza Italy. It is our position that we Are exempt from tax on Home and car radios Oswald said. We have directed effective aug. 2, that vehicle registration offices at Vicenza and at Camp Darby cease collecting  although . Army vehicle registration offices and the . Navy vehicle registration office at Naples Italy Are no longer overseeing the collection of the radio tax other . Military installations reported tuesday that they Are studying the tax matter and the car radio tax is still being collected