Assembly backs PILT parity efforts, urges congressional support for Senate Bill 1175 and NACO 'side B'

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly voted Nov. 3 to adopt a resolution urging federal and state action to make PILT (Payments In Lieu of Taxes) more equitable for jurisdictions with large federal land acreage and limited taxable lands. The resolution supports two advocacy paths: the Small County PILT Parity Act (U.S. Senate Bill 1175) and the National Association of Counties (NACO) “side B” minimum-funding proposal.

Assemblymember Dowell explained the rationale during debate: because boroughs with large federal land areas must provide services but cannot tax federal acreage, the borough stands to gain material fiscal relief if PILT funding were adjusted to reduce population-based penalties. Dowell cited NACO estimates that a side-B minimum per-acre approach could yield roughly $1 million–$1.2 million a year for the borough, while the Senate bill was estimated to deliver on the order of $800,000. He said Senator Lisa Murkowski had recently cosponsored SB 1175.

The motion to adopt the resolution passed on a recorded vote; the assembly directed staff to distribute the resolution to state and federal contacts and to encourage other municipalities to adopt similar language to build collective support through the Alaska Municipal League and NACO.