On June 15, the U.S.
Department of the Interior (DOI) announced that it would
distribute more than $578 million to over 1,900 local governments
under the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. All 58
California counties are set to receive over $61 million this
year, up from $58 million in fiscal year 2022. A full list of
payments to counties can be accessed here.
PILT payments to counties help offset losses in tax revenues due
to the presence of tax-exempt federal land in their
jurisdictions. In California, every county contains some portion
of federal property, with the federal government owning more than
50 percent of the land in a dozen counties. PILT funding allows
counties to provide essential public services on these lands,
including solid waste disposal, law enforcement, search and
rescue operations, environmental compliance, firefighting, and
other important community services.
CSAC continues to urge members of the California congressional
delegation to make PILT a top budgetary priority. The Association
has also called on lawmakers to approve a multi-year
reauthorization of the program in order to provide public lands
counties with long-term certainty.
