Leon County joined the National Association of Counties (NACo) on Sept. 7 to 9 to urge members of Congress to support a full investment in the Payments in Lieu of Taxes, or PILT, program in FY 2017 and permanent funding for the future. The PILT program offsets forgone property tax revenue due to the presence of non-taxable federal land within counties’ jurisdictions.
Leon County Commissioner Bryan Desloge met with leaders on Capitol Hill to push for immediate and long-term funding for the program, which supports vital county services including road and bridge maintenance, public safety and environmental compliance.
“The county delivers services to support our residents and visitors to federal public lands within our boundaries,” said Desloge. “The PILT program supports services like law enforcement, emergency medical services, search-and-rescue efforts, road maintenance and waste disposal.”
Sixty-two percent of the nation’s counties have federal public lands, including Leon County, where federal lands make up 24.4 percent of the county. For 2016, the county received PILT payments of $206,015.
In 2016, Congress appropriated $452 million for the PILT program, allotted to approximately 1,900 counties and other local governments across 49 states. Despite not being able to collect property taxes on federal lands, county governments must still provide many important services for residents and visitors. The funding for PILT is set to expire at the end of September 2016.
Desloge sounded the call for action during a congressional briefing with a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.); Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah); Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah); Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.).
“Without congressional action, there could be significant budget shortfalls in counties across the country,” said Desloge. “Leon County provides continued services for federal public lands, and Congress should provide ongoing, predictable funding to support them.”
About the National Association of Counties
The National Association of Counties (NACo) unites America’s 3,069 county governments. Founded in 1935, NACo brings county officials together to advocate with a collective voice on national policy, exchange ideas and build new leadership skills, pursue transformational county solutions, enrich the public’s understanding of county government and exercise exemplary leadership in public service. More information at: www.naco.org.
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