By Dena Martin
the Times
Columbia County to receive $385,583 in PILT funds
Garfield County will receive $234,090 and Walla Walla County will see $29,891
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June 27, 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On June 21, eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) announced the 2019 Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program disbursements totaling more than $3.5 million for eastern Washington counties.
Because local governments are unable to tax the property values or products derived from federal lands, PILT payments help support necessary government services such as education, solid waste disposal, law enforcement, search and rescue, health care, environmental compliance, fire-fighting, parks and recreation and other important community services.
“Many counties here in Eastern Washington rely on PILT funding to provide basic services. Due to the loss of potential tax revenues on federal lands in affected areas, PILT funds from the Department of Interior help rural counties, who are already faced with financial uncertainty, keep their doors open. I was proud to lead in reauthorizing this program and thank the Department of the Interior for allocating this funding to provide certainty to eastern Washington counties and rural America,” McMorris Rodgers said in a media release.
The formula used to compute payments is based on population, revenue sharing payments, and the amount of Federal land within the county. Disbursements to eastern Washington counties in 2019 are:
Asotin County: $57,829
Columbia County: $385,583
Ferry County: $810,960
Garfield County: $234,090
Lincoln County: $244,852
Pend Oreille County: $1,082,483
Spokane County: $5,635
Stevens County: $607,964
Walla Walla County: $29,891
Whitman County: $58,733
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