Payments help local governments provide services

Payments in Lieu of Taxes totaling more than $32 million have been made to Nevada’s 16 counties and Carson City, reports the Silver State’s senatorial delegation. According to a joint statement released Wednesday by Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, most of the funding, or 87.5%, is earmarked for Nevada’s rural counties.

Churchill County will receive more than $2.9 million, while four other counties—Clark, Elko, Nye and Washoe—will each receive more than $4 million. PILT payments help local governments carry out such services as firefighting and police protection, construction of public schools, new roads and search-and-rescue operations. 

According to the senators, payments are made annually for tax-exempt federal lands administered by Department of the Interior agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, federal water projects and the military, such as the U.S. Navy in central Nevada. In addition, PILT payments cover federal lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission. 

“Every year, the PILT program helps rural Nevada counties pay law enforcement and first responders, fund housing and education and undertake critical conservation projects,” Cortez Masto said. “I’m glad to see more federal funding headed to Nevada, and I will continue to do everything I can to help our rural communities thrive.”

The formula used to compute the payments is contained in the PILT Act. It is based on population, revenue-sharing payments and the amount of federal land within an affected county. PILT payments are made in addition to other Federal payments to the states, such as those for oil and gas leasing, livestock grazing and timber harvesting.

The total amount of PILT funding this year is slightly above the $31 million that was awarded in 2023. Washoe County received $4.4 million for almost 3 million acres. According to Cortez Masto, the payment formula considers population, revenue sharing and the federal land area in impacted counties.

Churchill County receives $2,973,815 in PILT money, while neighboring Lyon County receives $2,773,741. Mineral County, home to the Hawthorne Army Depot, receives $928,963.

“Since day one, I’ve been working to deliver federal funding and resources to rural Nevada for essential services, including for law enforcement and firefighting, in addition to supporting local education and infrastructure repairs,” Rosen said. “I’m proud to have helped secure $33 million in PILT funding this year for rural communities across our state. I will keep fighting to ensure communities in rural Nevada get their fair share of federal funding.”

Both senators say PILT payments are one of the ways the federal government can fulfill its role of being a good neighbor to local communities.