Wyden, Merkley: Oregon Counties to Receive More Than $27 Million in PILT Funds

Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

June 16, 2023

Federal resources for all 36 Oregon counties invest in local firefighters, law enforcement, schools, and road construction

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that all 36 Oregon counties will receive more than $27 million collectively this year from the federal Payments in Lieu of Taxes program that helps to cover the costs of important local services. 

“This annual federal investment in communities throughout Oregon and nationwide supports quality schools, reliable roads and stable public safety with both firefighting and law enforcement,” Wyden said. “These vital resources are especially crucial for rural Oregonians, and I’ll always work to ensure this lifeline remains robust for our entire state.”

“Rural communities shouldn’t have to wonder if they will have the resources they need to pay for essential services and infrastructure,”?Merkley said.?“This vital federal investment will help ensure Oregonians across the state have reliable access to emergency services and safe infrastructure. I will keep working to protect this federal support for these critical services on a long-term basis—so families across Oregon have the peace of mind they deserve.”? 

Local governments cannot tax federal lands, so annual PILT payments are made for tax-exempt federal lands administered by the Interior Department’s bureaus, including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service. PILT payments cover federal lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission. Payments are calculated based on the number of acres of federal land within each county or jurisdiction and the population of that county or jurisdiction. 

A full list of funding by state and county is available on the Interior Department’s Payments in Lieu of Taxes page. The county-by-county breakdown in Oregon for distribution of the $27.1 million in PILT funds is as follows:

 

COUNTY

PAYMENT

TOTAL ACRES

BAKER COUNTY

$1,473,204

1,016,448

BENTON COUNTY

$149,842

74,430

CLACKAMAS COUNTY

$586,841

617,410

CLATSOP COUNTY

$4,724

1,504

COLUMBIA COUNTY

$34,503

10,961

COOS COUNTY

$613,893

244,053

CROOK COUNTY

$1,834,700

940,461

CURRY COUNTY

$793,346

687,693

DESCHUTES COUNTY

$3,316,534

1,445,487

DOUGLAS COUNTY

$746,359

1,659,704

GILLIAM COUNTY

$140,266

45,757

GRANT COUNTY

$793,971

1,765,581

HARNEY COUNTY

$1,387,136

4,462,615

HOOD RIVER COUNTY

$235,398

205,855

JACKSON COUNTY

$1,676,529

909,602

JEFFERSON COUNTY

$568,377

302,373

JOSEPHINE COUNTY

$1,469,614

714,226

KLAMATH COUNTY

$1,003,650

2,231,850

LAKE COUNTY

$1,387,136

3,692,647

LANE COUNTY

$781,686

1,738,262

LINCOLN COUNTY

$86,783

192,982

LINN COUNTY

$252,497

561,487

MALHEUR COUNTY

$3,327,391

4,299,188

MARION COUNTY

$101,673

226,094

MORROW COUNTY

$381,060

150,971

MULTNOMAH COUNTY

$39,982

83,028

POLK COUNTY

$129,079

41,984

SHERMAN COUNTY

$167,059

53,672

TILLAMOOK COUNTY

$61,383

136,500

UMATILLA COUNTY

$1,238,899

420,250

UNION COUNTY

$1,382,015

624,214

WALLOWA COUNTY

$660,004

1,171,213

WASCO COUNTY

$98,966

220,074

WASHINGTON COUNTY

$44,020

13,984

WHEELER COUNTY

$135,844

302,080

YAMHILL COUNTY

$57,626

58,758

TOTAL

$27,161,990

31,323,398