Rep. Neguse Calls for Pay Increase for Federal Employees in Colorado’s Western Slope

Lafayette, CO — Today, House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse sent a letter to the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), urging the consideration of a locality pay adjustment for federal employees working in communities across Colorado’s Western Slope. Many public servants in the area hold positions within local law enforcement, land management agencies, the U.S. National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Postal Service, and more. These individuals are not currently making salaries that are commensurate with the cost of living in Summit, Eagle, Routt, Gilpin, and Clear Creek counties. 

Congressman Neguse’s letter follows local reports that White River National Forest, the most visited national forest in the country, is unable to retain adequate levels of staff for the upcoming Summer months. By increasing pay for federal employees, agencies can better recruit and retain high-quality individuals. 

In the letter, Assistant Leader Neguse wrote: “Our federal employees, across every agency and level, are the backbone of our government. It is imperative that we are able to fully staff our agencies with qualified workers who are capable of skillfully executing their missions and serving the American people.” 

Last year, the OPM announced an updated 2024 General Schedule (GS) pay scale for the state of Colorado, implementing a 5.3% pay raise for federal employees in neighboring locations like Colorado Springs, Denver, and Aurora.

Read the full letter HERE and below: 

May 29, 2024

Dear Acting Director Shriver, 

I write today to respectfully urge that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) implement a locality pay adjustment in the General Schedule for federal employees in Summit, Eagle, Routt, Gilpin, and Clear Creek Counties in Colorado. While I appreciate your agency’s efforts to ensure areas across every state in the country are provided with competitive pay, I believe it is critical the agency do so for the aforementioned counties so that we may recruit and retain the best talent within the federal government. 

As you know, OPM has implemented a locality special rate for several areas in Colorado, including the cities of Boulder, Lakewood, and Loveland, Larimer County, and the City and County of Denver, among others, which provides increased pay for federal employees in areas with higher median incomes. I appreciate these efforts to provide a livable wage for our public servants. However, the counties listed above face similar (and in some cases, far more substantial) cost of living challenges and have not been afforded the requisite pay adjustments.

For example, the City and County of Denver is considered under the Number 0772 Special Rate, with a median household income for the area of $88,213.1 And yet, in comparison, the median household income in Eagle and Summit counties are $98,887 and $100,611, respectively. Furthermore, 74.4 percent of homes in Summit County and 70.2 percent of homes in Eagle County are valued above $500,000, and yet these areas have not been provided pay adjustments.  

My community experiences the impacts of these Federal compensation challenges every single day. The White River National Forest —the most visited national forest in the country, which runs through both Summit and Eagle County — is unlikely to have the presence of U.S. Forest Service law enforcement this summer due to the agency being unable to retain personnel in the area. These duties will now fall to local law enforcement, who already face staffing retention difficulties and budgetary constraints. In fact, according to officials with the White River National Forest, employment candidates decline more than half of all job offers Forest-wide, with candidates citing cost of living and/or housing in nearly every case. 

Our Federal employees, across every agency and level, are the backbone of our government. It is imperative that we are able to fully staff our agencies with qualified workers who are capable of skillfully executing their missions and serving the American people. It is with that in mind that I urge you to consider our request to increase locality pay for these counties. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to working with you to secure a strong and effective federal workforce. 

Sincerely,

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