WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), announced her co-sponsorship of the Small County PILT Parity Act (S. 2108). This bipartisan legislation, introduced by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), would modify the PILT formula so that counties with populations under 5,000 would receive increased PILT payments. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, four Nevada Counties have under 5,000 year-round residents, including Mineral County, Storey County, Eureka County, and Esmerelda County.
“PILT payments are critical to helping support essential services in Nevada, especially in our rural communities, such as law enforcement, education, emergency services, health care, and road maintenance,” said Senator Rosen. “This bipartisan legislation will help to ensure that funding is not overlooked for Nevada’s smaller counties. I will continue to advocate for communities in every corner of our state, and ensure that each county has the necessary resources to keep our communities safe, provide emergency services, and strengthen our infrastructure.”
BACKGROUND: PILT payments are federal payments to local governments that help offset losses in property taxes due to non-taxable federal lands within their boundaries. The payments are made annually for tax-exempt federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and for federal water projects and some military installations.
The bipartisan Small County PILT Parity Act would create a formula adjustment that would help bring parity to lower population counties, and help address rising infrastructure and emergency services costs.
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