GC to receive PILT funding

U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced Friday, June 14, that Grant County will receive $ 1,837,491 in 2013 Payments in Lieu of Taxes.

The PILT program is administered through the Department of the Interior and provides funding for mostly rural counties that have a limited ability to levy taxes due to the amount of federal property in their jurisdiction, including Bureau of Land Management land, national parks and forests, and military bases, a news release said. PILT funding is used to provide police and fire services and also goes toward local schools, housing and transportation.

“ PILT payments are important to New Mexico and I’m glad to see these payments continue for our rural communities,’ Udall said.

“ PILT funding helps maintain the economic strength of our rural communities by providing safer roads, better schools, and thousands of local jobs,’ Heinrich said.