For many rural Colorado counties, the broad swaths of federal lands within their boundaries are both a blessing and a burden.
The land preserves the state’s natural beauty. However, since the land is not on the tax rolls, it doesn’t generate revenue to offset the services that are necessary.
That’s why the federal Payments in Lieu of Taxes program, or PILT, nearly four decades ago.
It’s a vehicle for the feds to compensate states — and Western states get the most support — for emergency services and other costs. Yet in recent years, PILT funding has been a dicey prospect when it comes to the federal budget.
And that is one of the reasons we support a bipartisan bill recently introduced by U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, that would bring some certainty to PILT funding.
The measure would ensure a reliable funding stream for PILT, over the years.
And while the that Colorado counties received through PILT in 2014 might not seem like a significant amount — not when annual federal spending is in the trillions — going without it would be a significant burden for counties.
For instance, in a Denver Post story last year about PILT, a La Plata County commissioner said PILT money helped to fund search and rescue missions on federal land in rugged mountain terrain near Durango.
The commissioner estimated that 60 percent of those efforts helped people who did not live in the county.
“When a hiker gets lost on federal land, the federal government doesn’t help — it’s going to be the local sheriff,” said U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., in a .
Many of the counties hardest hit during the recession — those that haven’t seen an economic rebound similar to the one enjoyed by much of the Front Range — are the very ones that rely on PILT.
A firm commitment on PILT funding would be an important way to help these counties bounce back economically.
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