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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from Ken Salazar - PILT Program THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR Q WASHINGTON a - - June 9, 2009Mon^naS 3.18q �vryJ� RL) SUPERVISORS JUN 15 2009 Butte County Chairman Bd Supvs 25 County Center Dr Oroville, CA 95965 Dear County Official: I am pleased to notify you that on June 11, 2009,the Department of the Interior will issue a payment to your county under the Payments in Lieu of Taxes(PELT)Program. Since local jurisdictions are prohibited from taxing Federal lands,annual PELT payments help to defray costs associated with maintaining services that support these lands within their boundaries. The PILT Program compensates local jurisdictions for Federal lands administered by agencies within the Department and on behalf of the Forest Service and the Corps of Engineers. PELT payments may be used for any governmental purpose,including important community services such as emergency response,public schools,and roads. The PELT Program is authorized by the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act, 31 U.S.C. 6901- 6907,as amended. The PILT Act prescribes the formula that is used to compute the annual payments based on per acre and population variables,which are annually adjusted for inflation and census data. Prior year Federal payments under certain revenue sharing programs are deducted in formulating the payment amounts. These amounts are provided by your State through an annual reporting process. A provision in the PELT Act provides that temporary payments be made to compensate for recent additions to the National Park System and the National Forests Wilderness areas. Since 1977,PILT funding has been subject to appropriation. The Department funded 64.7 percent of the calculated entitlement level in 2007. However,the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (P.L. 100-343) authorized full funding for the PILT Program beginning in 2008 and through 2012. Over 1,850 local jurisdictions will receive a total of $381.6 million in PELT payments this year. For Fiscal Year 2009,your county is entitled to a PELT payment of$49,698.00. We understand the need for payments to be made in a timely manner, and the Department will make payments in advance of most counties' fiscal year end date of June 30. If current bank routing and account numbers for your county have been provided to our National Business Center office, an electronic funds transfer(EFT)will post to your account on or about June 11,2009. If this information has not been received, a check will be mailed to your county from the U.S. Treasury in San Francisco, California, on June 11,2009. Should you require further information,points of contact are provided in the enclosed list of Frequently Asked Questions. Additional information about the PELT Program is available at C� 6&5 1 www.doi.govlbudget/pilt. This site also includes an EFT enrollmentichange form to expedite receipt of future PILT payments. Sincerely, (�L , C'- Ken Salazar Enclosure PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TAXES [PILT] FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS [FAQs] Question: How are PILT payments computed? Answer: General information concerning the methods used to compute PILT payments can be found in the expanded FAQs section of the PILT website located at www,doi.gov/pilt. For more speck information concerning how a particular unit of local government's payment was computed please call Mr.Bill Howell, Office of the Secretary, Office of Budget,202-208-3157 (Commercial or FTS). Persons who utilize a telecommunications device for the deaf(TDD) can call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339,24-hours a day, seven days a week,to contact Mr. Howell. Question: The PILT Notification Letter stated the EFT payment due our county would be credited to our account several days ago. How can I find out where our payment was sent? OR Our county is not enrolled in EFT, and expected to receive our PILT check several days ago. Who can we talk to about this? Answer: The phone number for the PILT Help Desk, at the National Business Center-Denver is 303-969-7722. The Help Desk can answer any inquiries concerning either EFT or check disbursement of PILT payments. Question: To expedite receipt of our PILT payment in the future, our county would like to enroll in the EFT payment program. Where can we get a PILT Electronic Funds Transfer(EFT)EnroIlment/Change form? Answer: - From the PILT Home Page at http://www.doi.gov/pilt, click on any line under the heading PILT Menu; - Near the top of the screen,you'll see seven boxes, shaded in yellow. Click on the topic FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions]; Click on Payment Method and ACH Enrollment Form, about 2/3 of the way down the list of subjects immediately under the yellow topic boxes. The third paragraph of the ACH Enrollment Form also lists the phone and fax numbers where additional information and assistance is available.