Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

LAS CRUCES – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today outlined county-by-county estimates for two programs that provide crucial funding to New Mexico: Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and Secure Rural Schools.

Bingaman was influential in negotiating a proposal signed into law earlier this month that fully funds PILT for the next five years. PILT is initiative that pays counties for federal lands within their borders that cannot be made part of the tax base. The new law also expands the Secure Rural Schools program, which provides funding to schools in forested communities. 

“PILT and Secure Rural Schools funding is critical to our state. I am so pleased that during these difficult economic times, New Mexico counties and schools will actually see an increase in federal funding,” Bingaman said. “I’ve been working for years to get more support for PILT and Secure Rural Schools and I am very glad we were finally able to get that enacted this year.”

PILT funding was already announced for 2008. Below are estimates for the additional funds counties will receive in the near future to supplement the funds distributed by the U.S. Department of Interior in June.  

Below are estimates released by the U.S. Forest Service for what New Mexico counties will receive under the Secure Rural Schools Program; about 20 counties qualify. The Forest Service today also released important guidance, including deadlines for counties to submit information to ensure they get their payments.  

Counties in red are not eligible for direct Secure Rural Schools funding.

County                     FY2008                                     FY2008

Bernalillo                $75,000                                $70,921

Catron                    $199,437                              $6.8 million 

Chaves                    $1.02 million                         $64,418     

Cibola                     $664,425                              $821,306

Colfax                     $59,055                                $117,191

De Baca                  $35,390                          

Dona Ana                $1.01 million                               

Eddy                        $1.13 million                         $144,004

Grant                        $826,193                             $1.468 million

Guadalupe                $51,468                                       

Harding                    $38,880                                       

Hidalgo                    $274,584                              $161,842

Lea                          $357,800 

Lincoln                     $631,400                              $751,989       

Los Alamos              $29,304              

Luna                         $631,666                                      

McKinley                 $348,686                              $565,077      

Mora                        $92,880                                $368,002         

Otero                        $1.11 million                         $1.2 million

Quay                         $1,529

Rio Arriba                  $948,307                             $2.85 million  

Roosevelt                   $9,092                  

San Juan                     $732,492                                    

San Miguel                  $312,573                            $680,271

Sandoval                     $806,215                            $532,179

Santa Fe                      $255,143                            $160,449

Sierra                           $457,923                            $828,976   

Socorro                        $558,657                            $1.267 million 

Taos                             $614,535                            $730,716        

Torrance                       $131,047                            $294,874

Union                            $48,605                                                       

Valencia                        $28,740                              $26,179