Arizona to get $43.5M in federal funding for local community services

PHOENIX — Local governments in Arizona will receive millions of dollars in payments in lieu of taxes funding for 2023, the Department of the Interior announced.

Every county in Arizona will receive a portion of the $43.5 million in PILT payments because it cannot tax federal lands.

Annual PILT payments help to defray the cost associated with maintaining important community services, the Interior Department said in a press release.

“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to boosting local communities,” Joan Mooney, principal deputy assistant secretary for policy, management and budget said.

“PILT payments help local governments carry out vital services, such as firefighting and police protection, construction of public schools and roads, and search-and-rescue operations. We are grateful for our ongoing partnerships with local jurisdictions across the country who help the Interior Department fulfill our mission on behalf of the American public.”

The payments are made for tax-exempt federal lands administered by the Department’s bureaus, including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. Additional payments will 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, according to the Interior Department.

Payment calculations are based on the number of acres of federal land within each county or jurisdiction and their populations.