Peters, Stabenow Announce More Than $4.6 Million in PILT Funding for Michigan

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow today announced $4,644,847 in funding for 29 Michigan counties through the Department of the Interior’s Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. Michigan is home to more than two million acres of federal lands, meaning that county governments throughout Michigan miss out on important property tax revenue every year. PILT program funds help to make up for the lost property tax revenue to fund essential services in these Michigan counties.

“The PILT program helps many Michigan counties cover the costs of vital services that local residents rely on, from education to law enforcement to infrastructure maintenance,” said Senator Peters. “Without the support of PILT resources, many rural communities would otherwise struggle to fund these critical services. I’m pleased to join Senator Stabenow in announcing these funds that will ensure Michigan’s rural counties and their residents continue to thrive.”

“As a former County Commissioner, I know the important role that local counties play in providing critical services like roads, police and fire protection,” said Senator Stabenow. “This funding will ensure the continuing partnership between our local communities, national forests, and other federal lands that contribute so much to our Michigan way of life.”

The Department of the Interior’s PILT program helps local governments carry out such critical services as construction of public schools and roads, search-and-rescue operations as well firefighter and police services. The PILT program’s 2017 national payments will total $464.6 million made to approximately 1,900 local governments across the United States.

Below are the Michigan counties that received PILT funding for 2017: