On July 3, the Texas County Commission approved joining a class action lawsuit related to funds owed by the federal government in lieu of taxes.
Commissioners reviewed correspondence from the “Federal Claims for a Class Action for Counties.”
The lawsuit, originally filed by Kane County, Utah, contends that the U.S. government violated the law by not appropriating the full amount guaranteed to counties through the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program.
The PILT statute sets out specific formulas to calculate payment due each local government. But in fiscal years 2015 and 2016, Congress didn’t appropriate enough money to make full PILT payments. As a result, the secretary of the interior proportionally reduced each payment.
Texas County will attempt to recover about $3,503.
In other matters, members:
—Read correspondence from Trident, its insurance company.
—Reviewed an incident report and will follow up with the county sheriff for clarification.
—Discussed several property additions by a taxpayer involving large amounts, which had not been seen before. The commission will visit with the county assessor.
—Visited with Jack Watson and discussed many items, including updates of working with FEMA on roads in Cass Township.
—Heard from Betty and Gus Adams and Gary and Esther Anglehorn regarding Upton Township issues.
The minutes were released July 16.