Next week, RCRC Chair Matt Kingsley (Inyo County), RCRC First Vice Chair Daron McDaniel (Merced), and RCRC Board Member and National Association of Counties (NACo) Western Interstate Region (WIR) President Kevin Cann (Mariposa County) will join RCRC staff for NACo’s annual Payments In-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Fly-In in Washington, D.C.
Scheduled September 10-12, 2019, this joint effort by Supervisors and Commissioners from around the United States allows county officials to spend time on Capitol Hill informing members of Congress and key staff of the importance of Federal PILT payments to counties.
Federal PILT provides payments to counties to help offset losses in property tax revenues due to nontaxable federal lands within their jurisdictions. Federal PILT funding is vital for many of the nation's counties to continue providing critical programs and services to rural communities.
Congress has yet to pass an Interior-Environment appropriations bill for Fiscal 2020. Despite the lack of passage, initial bi-cameral efforts would fully fund Federal PILT, a policy supported by the overwhelming majority of members of Congress.
In June, the U.S. Department of Interior announced that more than 1,900 local governments around the country will receive $514.7 million in Federal PILT funding for 2019. Of the total $514.7 million, more than $51.7 million in Federal PILT funding for 2019 was dispersed to California, of which more than $32.4 million went to RCRC member counties.
RCRC staff and its federal advocacy team will continue to pursue a robust federal affairs program to address its federal priorities, including Federal PILT payments to counties, and funding for the Secure Rural Schools program.
NACo’s 2019 PILT Fly-In website can be accessed here.