Counties sound alarm on Payments In Lieu of Taxes program
Upcoming Events
Related News
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Counties (NACo) today urged members of Congress to approve immediate (FY16) and long-term funding for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program, or PILT. Days before its congressional authorization expires, NACo held a briefing with a bipartisan group of lawmakers and launched an advocacy toolkit with national and county-specific information about the PILT program.
“Counties deliver a vast network of services to support federal public lands,” said NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. “From trash collection to road maintenance, from search-and-rescue operations to fire protection, county services allow millions to enjoy federal public lands. The PILT program helps to provide ongoing, vital services and should have ongoing, predictable funding sources.”
Sixty-two percent of counties have federal lands within our boundaries. Despite not being able to collect property tax on federal lands, county governments must still provide important services for their residents and visitors to public lands, including solid waste disposal, law enforcement, road and bridge upkeep and emergency medical services. Counties provide significant support for national parks and forests, wildlife refuges, recreation areas and other land that covers roughly 640 million acres, or nearly 28 percent of the U.S.
This year, the PILT program provided $442 million to approximately 1,900 counties and other local governments to offset forgone tax revenues due to the presence of substantial acreage of federal land in our jurisdictions. The authorization for PILT is set to expire Sept. 30, 2015.
County officials from across the country, including Chelan County, Wash. Commissioner Ron Walter, Ouray County, Colo. Commissioner Lynn Padgett and Valley County, Idaho Commissioner Gordon Cruickshank, sounded the call for action during meetings on Capitol Hill. NACo also hosted a congressional briefing with a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.); Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.); Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah); and Reps. Dan Benishek (R-Mich.); Chris Stewart (R-Utah); and Jared Polis (D-Colo.).
“Without swift congressional action, communities across the country could face devastating budget shortfalls affecting important programs and services,” Chase said.
For more information on the PILT program, visit www.naco.org/PILT.