Senators Lois Wolk (D-Yolo County) and Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) have introduced Senate Bill 1410, which would appropriate $19 million from the General Fund to pay 36 counties for past due monies owed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) for payment-in-lieu of taxes (PILT). The bill also appropriates $2 million annually from the General Fund to the DFW to make annual payments to counties as required by law.
Joining Senators Wolk and Nielsen as co-authors to SB 1410 are a bi-partisan group of eighteen Senators and Assembly Members who represent some of the impacted counties.
Existing law requires the DFW to pay counties an amount equal to the county taxes levied upon the property when private lands are acquired for wildlife management areas at the time title of the property was transferred to the State. These PILT payments are intended to offset adverse impacts to county property tax revenues that result from such acquisitions. The DFW has not made PILT payments to the 36 counties in over a decade.
RCRC urges the 36 impacted counties to write Senators Wolk and Nielsen indicating support for SB 1410, copying the co-authors of the bill and appropriate Senator and/ or Assembly Member if they are not currently a co-author of the bill. The list of the 36 counties and the approximate amount past due can be accessed here. The text of SB 1410 can be accessed here. RCRC’s press release on SB 1410 can be accessed here.
For additional information, please contact RCRC Legislative Advocate Kathy Mannion at 916.447.4806 or kmannion@rcrcnet.org.