SACRAMENTO, CA – February 17, 2015 – The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) applaud Senators Lois Wolk (D-Yolo County) and Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) for their continued effort to appropriate monies to counties for outstanding obligations relating to Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) payments. Senate Bill 234, introduced last week, would appropriate $19 million to the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) to make past due PILT payments to California counties. While the Governor’s 2015-16 proposed Budget includes PILT funding for the upcoming year, annual payments haven’t been made in well over a decade.
“This has been an ongoing issue for 14 years, during which time counties have struggled to tighten their budgets in order to fund programs and services for residents when the State stopped making PILT payments. Small, rural counties throughout the state have particularly felt the weight of this burden,” said Senator Wolk, coauthor of SB 234. “This measure will appropriate $19 million to the Department of Fish and Wildlife to make past due PILT payments to counties, paying off this debt once and for all.”
“We thank the Governor for recognizing the importance of PILT to California’s rural counties with this year’s appropriation, but the lack of funding over the past 14 years has left counties struggling to fill the hole left in their budgets,” said Lee Adams, RCRC Chair and Sierra County Supervisor. “RCRC is proud to sponsor SB 234, and we applaud Senators Wolk and Nielsen for introducing legislation to fight for these monies owed to California’s rural counties.”
“With the increasing shifting of state responsibility to local government, the State needs to keep faith with locals to provide funding along with those obligations,” said Senator Nielsen, coauthor of SB 234.
California PILT was established in 1949 to offset adverse impacts to county property tax revenues that result when the State acquires private property for wildlife management areas.
SB 234 is coauthored by a bipartisan group of 27 legislators (including Wolk/Nielsen) from many of the counties impacted by the lack of PILT funding. The bill text can be accessed here.
About Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC)
The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-four member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter.
