HomeMy WebLinkAbout082925 - Washington State DNR _payment in lieu of taxes_ 2025ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
TO: Jeff Chapman, Jefferson County Assessor
C: Heidi Eisenhour, Chair, Jefferson County Board of Commissioners
FROM: Curt Pavola, Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Each year, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports acreage owned and managed by DNR as designated natural areas or community forests for “payment in lieu of taxes” (PILT).
Attached is a summary of the PILT and a template for your use in calculating the 2025 PILT, plus any weed control assessments, for DNR-owned lands. See the form on Page 4 of the attached
file named “County PILT Calculation Form,” and feel free to use your county’s modified version of this form as in previous years.
When the PILT was approved by the State Legislature, DNR consulted with county assessors to create a workable calculation formula for DNR-managed natural area preserves and natural resources
conservation areas. DNR’s role is to inform counties annually of the acreage for such natural areas, then receive and compile the PILT requests from each county for presentation to
the Washington State Treasurer for payment. The payment is then electronically disbursed directly by the State Treasurer to each county. The Legislature later authorized PILT for DNR-managed
“community forest trust” lands, and this follows the same payment process.
The annual PILT is based on the total acreage of DNR-managed PILT-eligible lands within each county at the end of the prior state fiscal year (e.g., DNR acres owned on June 30, 2025,
for the calendar year 2025 PILT payment). DNR submits acreage reports and, if applicable, updated site maps to every eligible county by the end of August, with PILT and weed control
assessment requests due back to DNR by the end of September. Payments will be made to the counties by December, or earlier if possible.
Enclosed for your use in calculating the 2025 PILT are the following documents:
-- County PILT Calculation Form for DNR-owned natural areas and community forests
-- A copy of the information returned to DNR by your county for the 2024 PILT
-- PILT-Eligible Lands by County through June 2025 (for the Calendar Year 2025 PILT calculation)
-- And, if applicable for your county, acquisition maps for those natural areas or community forests with purchase activity during the past state fiscal year (July 1, 2024, through
June 30, 2025); including Chelan, Clark, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Klickitat, and Mason.
Please return your 2025 DNR PILT request to me by September 30 and once all counties are reporting I will submit a PILT payment request to the State Treasurer’s Office. Please feel free
to email me if you have any questions, at curt.pavola@dnr.wa.gov.
c: Jennifer Wallace, WACO
Paul Jewell, WSAC
Court Stanley, WSAC
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Curt Pavola, Program Manager
pronunciation: "PAW - voh - luh"
Natural Areas Program
WA State Dept of Natural Resources
Olympia, WA
Curt.Pavola@dnr.wa.gov <mailto:Curt.Pavola@dnr.wa.gov>
www.dnr.wa.gov <http://www.dnr.wa.gov/>
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