Las Vegas Sun

December 2, 2009

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Editorial: Federal payments to counties revisited

Thursday, May 24, 2001 | 9:41 a.m.

County governments often rely on property taxes to help pay for essential services, ranging from education to public safety. In a recognition that some counties effectively cannot do so since they have huge expanses of federal land, since 1977 Congress has compensated these counties to offset their loss in potential revenues. In Nevada this program is especially important since it's estimated that the federal government owns 87 percent of the land in this state.

The payments are particularly welcome in Nevada's struggling rural areas -- Nevada's counties received a total of $7.6 million in these funds last year. Still, haggling in Congress over appropriations bills can impede these payments. So Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is seeking legislation that would ensure these payments are automatic and made timely each year. Congress should pass Reid's bill so that eligible counties no longer will have to worry that bickering over the budget will delay this needed funding.

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