Commissioner Brandt keeps funding issue front and center for DC officials

WASHINGTON, DC – Highlighting the needs and struggles of western rural communities, Idaho County Commissioner Skip Brandt was among five Gem State elected officials who attended the annual NACo PILT flight on last month.

During the meetings, participants encouraged Congress to fully fund the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program and the Safe Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination (SRS) Act, emphasizing the need for a funding in rural counties that cannot tax federal lands because of its tax-exempt status or share of revenue generated from activity on public lands.

Since counties are unable to charge property taxes on federal lands, the LTCP program helps local governments fund services such as road and bridge maintenance, law enforcement, search and rescue operations, fire protection, solid waste disposal and environmental compliance.

Congress has fully funded the program since 2008 and it is used by 1,900 counties, the majority of which are rural western counties. PILT received just under $550 million for fiscal year 2022.

Brandt discussed the impact the loss of logging has had on federal funding for schools and county roads in Idaho County.

“It’s so important for people from the county and the school to return to DC every year to make sure the issue stays front and center,” Brandt said on the trip. “Our delegation is, of course, on board and understands the issue well. However, we are meeting with the Idaho offices to get an overview of other offices and what other issues might be relevant to the counties.

“I’m also a realist,” he continued. “I know people won’t remember an Idaho County, Idaho commissioner after a meeting. That’s why I keep going back. I now have staff from the Congressional office, who are not from Idaho, call me to ask questions or to participate in hearings or events.

Brandt attended as the NACo Western Interstate Region representative for the state, with the trip funded by the state association.

Upon arrival by air, officials were able to meet with Senator Risch and Representative Fulcher as well as staff from the offices of Senator Crapo and Representative Simpson. In addition to meeting with the Idaho delegation, Idaho county officials also met with congressmen from Alabama, Ohio, Illinois, Texas and Utah. In addition to the Capitol Hill tours, attendees participated in a panel discussion with Randy Moore, Chief of the US Forest Service, and Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator at the US Department of the Interior.

The LTCP Fly-In also provided county officials with an opportunity to emphasize the importance of allocating Local and Tribal Consistency funds to public land counties. The National Association of Counties (NACo), IAC, and state associations across the West have submitted letters to the U.S. Treasury encouraging them to distribute the funds as planned to counties on public lands and to distribute the funds in using a formula similar to PILT.

– Information for this story comes from reports by writers Meredith Moran, NACo; and Seth Grigg Share, Idaho Counties Association.

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