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Beltrami County reports $3.18M in PILT revenue for 2025; majority used to reduce levy
Summary
Auditor‑treasurer Jody Treat told commissioners Beltrami received $3,181,000 in payments‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes (PILT) in 2025; the majority is statutorily directed to property‑tax levy reduction, and about $133,000 is allocated under a percent‑of‑acres formula to northern‑area grants.
Beltrami County auditor‑treasurer Jody Treat briefed commissioners on the county's payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes (PILT) receipts and distribution on Oct. 7, 2025. Treat said total PILT revenue for 2025 was $3,181,000 and described the payment categories and statutory distribution rules.
Treat said most PILT revenue in Beltrami County comes from acquired natural resource lands — paid at about $5.28 per acre — which accounted for roughly $1.9 million of the county’s PILT. DNR‑administered lands and county‑administered (tax‑forfeited) lands receive approximately $3.09 per acre. "By definition, [PILT] means payment to compensate local governments for the loss of tax base by state‑owned land," Treat said.
Statute limits how PILT funds are used; Treat said the majority must be applied to property‑tax levy reduction, and that PILT lowered Beltrami County’s levy by about eight levy points in 2025. Treat also described a statutory carve‑out that allocates roughly 15% of certain northern lands' PILT receipts to local grants; that carve‑out yields about $133,000 annually for the Con Con area and supports citizen committees that recommend local projects (grant cycle April 1–May 31 with recommendations returned mid‑June to early July).
Commissioners asked about recent increases to PILT amounts and whether regional coalitions helped secure additional formula payments; Treat said the acreage‑based bonus is a recent addition and could explain the increase.
