With 1.2 million acres, Doña Ana County’s largest land-owner is the U.S. Government, and county officials are lobbying the New Mexico Congressional Delegation to work across the aisle to ensure that counties continue to receive federal payments in lieu of taxes.
The federal Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program has been a long-standing revenue stream for counties with large federal land holdings since 1977. Last year, Doña Ana County received slightly more than $3 million in PILT funding.
Some factions in Congress oppose the PILT program and have threatened to suspend or dismantle the program, but the National Association of Counties is encouraging all affected counties to coordinate a lobbying effort to save the program.
“In the next few weeks, Congress must deal with many major issues,” said NACo Executive Director Matthew D. Chase. “For the 62 percent of America’s counties with federal public lands, the most pressing priority is full funding for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program. Without swift congressional action, local property owners and their counties could face devastating budget shortfalls or dramatic tax increases to support mandated county services.”
Both Doña Ana County Manager Julia T. Brown and Doña Ana County Assessor Andy Segovia said they will join the national effort on behalf of Doña Ana County taxpayers.
“PILT funding is an essential revenue stream for Doña Ana County,” Brown and Segovia said in a joint statement. “We will not stand idly by while Washington bureaucrats attempt to renege on their obligation to reimburse counties for services like law enforcement, fire protection and roads. The feds pay Doña Ana County less than $3 per acre for these services, but we’re going to fight for those dollars.”
Information from: Doña Ana County