June 19, 2023 3:30 a.m.

On Friday Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that all 36 Oregon counties will receive more than $27 million collectively this year from the federal Payments in Lieu of Taxes program that helps to cover the costs of important local services.

Wyden said, “This annual federal investment in communities throughout Oregon and nationwide supports quality schools, reliable roads and stable public safety with both firefighting and law enforcement”. Wyden said, “These vital resources are especially crucial for rural Oregonians, and I’ll always work to ensure this lifeline remains robust for our entire state”.

Merkley said, “Rural communities shouldn’t have to wonder if they will have the resources they need to pay for essential services and infrastructure”. Merkley said, “This vital federal investment will help ensure Oregonians across the state have reliable access to emergency services and safe infrastructure. I will keep working to protect this federal support for these critical services on a long-term basis – so families across Oregon have the peace of mind they deserve”.

In Oregon, Deschutes and Malheur counties are receiving the largest payments at just over $3.3 million each.

Douglas County will get $746,346 in the distribution. Commissioner Tim Freeman told News Radio 93-9 FM and 1240 KQEN, “The PLT program is extremely important to many counties nationwide with large amounts of federal land. Because Douglas County historically has been a timber receipt producing county, our portion of the PLT payment is relatively small compared to some other Oregon counties”. Freeman said, “This funding is important to Douglas County it allows us to continue to provide vital county services”.

A full list of funding by state and county is available at: https://pilt.doi.gov/counties.cfm