Senator Smith Asks for Added Support to Struggling Oregon Counties
Smith Urges Increased PILT Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) today sent a letter to Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Ranking Member Byron Dorgan (D-ND) asking them to support increased funding for the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program in Fiscal Year 2004.
The complete text of Smith's letter is available upon request.
The PILT program is designed to compensate local communities for losses in their tax bases that result from the presence of significant amounts of federal land in their counties. PILT funds are critical to the operation of local governments, who are mandated by law to provide an array of essential public services including search and rescue, law enforcement and sanitation and road maintenance.
"Any reduction in PILT funding will place a fiscal hardship on our counties which must use their limited tax dollars, combined with PILT receipts, to provide a clean and safe environment for their residents and the millions of Americans who visit national parks, forests and other public lands," wrote Smith. "In order for our communities to meet growing demands for essential public services, it is critical for Congress to provide regular increases in funding for PILT so that the authorized level will be reached within a reasonable amount of time."
The current authorization level for the PILT program is $370 million. The Department of the Interior's FY2004 budget request of $200 million for PILT is a reduction of $20 million from the amount enacted under the FY 2003 Omnibus Appropriations bill.
