| OCR Text |
Show Garfield Officials Receive $1689774 In Federal Funds Garfield County will share in the nearly $8 million being paid to the State of Utah in behalf of the 29 counties of Utah as compensation for tax free land held within those counties by the federal government. Rep. Jim Hansen (R-Utah) met recently with Secretary of Interior James Watt regarding the "payment in lieu of taxes" (PILT) checks for Utah local governments. The payments arc calculated under a formula based on acres of federal land administered by the interior, agriculture and defense departments arxl therefore, lost to local tax rolls. Rep. Hansen is currently co-sponsoring a bill which, if passed, t would mandate that 10 percent of federal mineral royalties be set aside each year In a "payment in lieu of taxes" fund. Sponsors claim the bill would replace the present PILT arrangement and assure local government officials of a steady and reliable source of revenue unlike the present PILT system which is often inconsistent and ur.depcndable, Garfield county commissioners were relieved to receive this year's funds totalling $168,774 which commissioners welcome but which have not been regularly counted a part of the county budget because of their past unreliability |
