[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 52 (Monday, March 18, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12041-12042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-6335]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4743-N-02]


Notice of Planned Closing of Tacoma, Post-of-Duty Station

AGENCY: Office of Inspector General, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of planned closing of Tacoma, post-of-duty station.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the HUD Office of 
Inspector General is closing its Tacoma, Washington post-of-duty 
station, and also provides a cost-benefit analysis of the impact of the 
closure.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Saddler, Counsel to the 
Inspector General, Room 8260, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410, (202) 708-
1613. (This is not a toll free number.) A telecommunications device for 
hearing- and speech-impaired persons (TTY) is available at 1-800-877-
8339 (Federal Information Relay Services). (This is a toll-free 
number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In 1998, HUD's Office of the Inspector General (HUD/OIG) 
established a single person post-of-duty in Tacoma, Washington, to give 
direct support to the Tacoma, Washington office's Operation Safe Home 
(OSH) initiative to combat violent and drug-related crime in public and 
assisted housing in the city and nearby communities. Although Tacoma, 
Washington, is only about 30 miles from Seattle, Washington, where the 
HUD/OIG regional office is located, nationwide experience since the 
initiation of OSH in 1994 had proven that the best results/impact could 
be obtained when a HUD/OIG Special Agent was physically located in the 
target city. However, in accordance with the requirements of the Fiscal 
Year 2002 HUD Appropriations Act (Pub.L. 107-73, approved November 26, 
2001), HUD/OIG is terminating OSH and re-deploying staff to focus on 
investigations involving single-family fraud and property flipping. 
This change eliminates the need to maintain a separate post-of-duty 
station in Tacoma, Washington, and gives HUD/OIG the opportunity to 
generate cost savings associated with discontinuing an additional 
office.
    Section 7(p) of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act 
(42 U.S.C. 3535(p)) provides that a plan for field reorganization, 
which may involve the closing of any field or regional office, of the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development may not take effect until 
90 days after a cost-benefit analysis of the effect of the plan on the 
office in question is published in the Federal Register. The required 
cost-benefit analysis should include: (1) An estimate of cost savings 
anticipated; (2) an estimate of the additional cost which will result 
from the reorganization; (3) a discussion of the impact on the local 
economy; and (4) an estimate of the effect of the reorganization on the 
availability, accessibility, and quality of services provided for 
recipients of those services.
    Legislative history pertaining to section 7(p) indicates that not 
all reorganizations are subject to the requirements of section 7(p). 
Congress stated that ``[t]his amendment is not intended to [apply] to 
or restrict the

[[Page 12042]]

internal operations or organization of the Department (such as the 
establishment of new or combination of existing organization units 
within a field office, the duty stationing of employees in various 
locations to provide on-site service, or the establishment or closing, 
based on workload, of small, informal offices such as valuation 
stations).'' (See House Conference Report No. 95-1792, October 14, 1978 
at 105-106.)
    The one-person duty-station in Tacoma, Washington, is a single 
purpose duty station, and the duty station is being closed based on 
workload rather than a reorganization of OIG field offices. Although 
notice of the closing of a duty station is not subject to the 
requirement of section 7(p), as supported by legislative history, OIG 
nevertheless prepared a cost-benefit analysis for its own use in 
determining whether to proceed with the closing. Through this notice, 
OIG advises the public of the closing of the Tacoma, Washington duty 
station and provides the cost-benefit analysis of the impact of the 
closure.

Impact of the Closure of the Tacoma, Washington Post-of-Duty 
Station

    HUD/OIG considered the costs and benefits of closing the Tacoma, 
Washington office, and is publishing its cost-benefit analysis with 
this notice. In summary, HUD/OIG has determined that the closure with 
result in a cost savings, and, as a result of the size and limited 
function of the office, will cause no appreciable impact on the 
provision of authorized investigative services/activities in the area 
(i.e., OSH activities, of course, will be impacted, but HUD/OIG has 
been directed to terminate these activities).

Cost-Benefit Analysis

A. Cost Savings
    The Tacoma, Washington post-of-duty currently costs $1,194 per 
month for the space rental and $45.39 per month for the telephone 
service. Thus, closing the post-of-duty will result in an annual 
savings of $14,783. In addition, by closing the office HUD/OIG will not 
be required to incur additional costs associated with current plans to 
install high-speed computer access lines to and on the premises.
B. Additional Costs
    There are no offsetting expenses anticipated. The Special Agent 
assigned to the Tacoma, Washington post-of-duty will be reassigned to 
the Seattle Regional Office, without need for relocation reimbursement 
because the Special Agent actually resides closer to the Seattle 
Regional Office than to the Tacoma, Washington post-of-duty. Further, 
there is adequate existing office space to accommodate the Special 
Agent within the Seattle Regional Office.
C. Impact on Local Economy
    The Tacoma, Washington post-of-duty office space is located in 
government office space: the Federal Court House. Further, the post-of-
duty comprises a mere 354 square feet of space, which can easily be re-
leased to other tenants or used by security staff (GSA Law Enforcement) 
who occupy the adjacent space. Thus, no appreciable impact on the local 
economy is anticipated.
D. Effect on Availability, Accessibility and Quality of Services 
Provided to Recipients of Those Services
    The establishment of the Tacoma, Washington post-of-duty was based 
entirely on the needs of the HUD/OIG to have a Special Agent in closer 
proximity to OSH activities conducted in the Tacoma area. These 
activities are being terminated. Further, as was the case prior to 
1998, fraud investigations in the Tacoma area can be more effectively 
addressed by agents assigned to the Seattle Regional Office which is 
about 30 miles away.
    For the reasons stated in this notice, HUD/OIG intends to proceed 
to close its Tacoma, Washington post-of-duty station at the expiration 
of the 90-day period from the date of publication of this notice.

    Dated: March 8, 2002.
David C. Williams,
Acting Inspector General.
[FR Doc. 02-6335 Filed 3-15-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-78-P