Graham County Manager Lobbbies for PILT Funding | Eastern NC Now

For Immediate Release:

    Graham County Manager Greg Cable was among a handful of county officials from across the nation who spoke at a briefing sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo) on Sept. 18 to urge members of Congress to approve immediate and long-term funding for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program (PILT).

    "We are asking Congress to figure out a way to fully fund PILT at the $442 million level this year," said Cable. "Most of the PILT funding goes to western states, but in western North Carolina, the counties out here have a substantial amount of land owned by the federal government."

    Cable was one of more than two dozen county officials from 15 states who sounded the call for action during meetings with federal agencies and on Capitol Hill. Cable made his comments at a congressional briefing with U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), John Walsh (D-Mont.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) and Chris Stewart (R-Utah). In North Carolina, the federal government owns nearly 1.7 million acres of land, mostly in the western part of the state. Cable said 64 percent of the land in his county is owed by the federal government, meaning that the land is not generating any property tax revenue for the county. Graham County would have to raise property taxes by more than 2 cents to make up for the lost federal revenue.

    For FY 2014, 43 N.C. counties received PILT payments totaling more than $4.2 million, including Swain ($619,543), Haywood ($338,457), Macon ($336,731) and Graham ($245,265). For those rural, western counties, PILT revenues are a significant part of their budgets and help the county provide critical services to its citizens and to the visitors of the federal lands.

    "Counties deliver a vast network of services to support federal public lands," said NACo Executive Director Matthew D. Chase at the briefing. "From search-and-rescue operations to fire protection, county services allow millions to enjoy federal public lands. These programs help to provide ongoing, vital services and should have ongoing, predictable funding sources."

    Congress adjourned without taking action on PILT, but Cable said he hopes Congress will reauthorize the program when members return after the November elections. "We really need to find a long-term solution so that we're not subject to these yearly appropriations to find out what bill we are going to be attached to," said Cable. "PILT is not an entitlement program. We use that money to provide essential services to the federal agencies that own so much land in our counties."

    To support counties' advocacy efforts, NACo launched a new online resource center that includes comprehensive information about the PILT program. The hub features detailed profiles for the 1,126 individual counties that receive more than $10,000 of PILT funding, key facts and data points and tips for spreading the word via social media. For more information, visit http://www.naco.org/PILT. Editors: Attached is a photo of Greg Cable speaking at the event. Please credit the photo to: David Hathcox/National Association of Counties.

    The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues being considered by the General Assembly, Congress and federal and state agencies. The Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of lobbying, fiscal and legal research, communications, intergovernmental relations, information technology, field visits and risk management services.

    Contact: Todd McGee,

     (919) 715-7336  •  todd.mcgee@ncacc.org