Federal government may be forced to pay money it owes

By Randy Wyrick

EAGLE COUNTY — A couple congressional proposals could eliminate federal foot-dragging in paying counties the money they are owed for public land.Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) introduced a bill Tuesday that would extend critical funding for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program.Rep. Scott Tipton, (R-Colo.) made a similar proposal last winter, leading 46 members of Congress to urge federal action to pay counties the PILT money they’re owed.Polis’ PILT and SRS Certainty Act of 2015 would reauthorize each program for the next five fiscal years. It would also make PILT payments mandatory, removing them …

Source:: Vail Daily Feed