Local government officials should be standing by the mail box waiting for a payment from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The BLM has sent out $134 million dollars in payments in lieu of taxes (PILT) payments to 1,977 local governments across the United States.

The BLM forked out nearly $9 million more in 2000, than in 1999 according to Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt.

The PILT payments are intended to offset the loss of tax revenue to States and local governments caused by the presence of tax-exempt federal land within their jurisdictions.

Tom Fry, BLM director, believes that these payments serve an important role for both the BLM and the local governments that they go to.

“Through PILT payments, local governments carry out vital services such as firefighting, police protection, and construction of public schools and roads,” Fry said.

Congress appropriates PILT payments each year. The BLM allocates according to a formula in the PILT Act that includes population and the amount of Federal land within an affected county. These payments are in addition to other Federal revenues (such as livestock grazing, and timber harvesting) that the federal government transfers to the counties.

The state of Colorado is fifth on the list of highest PILT payment recipients with $10,296,073.

Moffat County received $197,939 in payment for 2000 up from $165,261 in 1999. Moffat County ranks 19th on the pay list of Colorado counties for PILT payments. Mesa County ranks first in Colorado with $949,938.

According to Joy Hammat, Moffat County treasurer, said the money received from PILT payments goes directly into the general fund.

“The PILT payment go directly into the general fund, where it is at the discretion of the county commissioners,” said Hammat.