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Commissioner urges state revenue sharing from timber and gas leases to aid Potter County
Summary
Commissioner Heiml urged support for House Bill 2141 to share a portion of state revenue from timber sales and energy leases with counties, townships and school districts, citing four recent timber/lease transactions and estimating Potter County could receive roughly $386,000 from those sales.
Commissioner Heiml told the Potter County Commissioners that he is pressing the legislature to pass House Bill 2141 so a portion of revenue from timber sales and energy leases on state‑owned land would be shared with counties, townships and school districts.
Heiml cited four recent transactions as examples: a timber sale on April 1 for $619,000, a sale on May 6 for $197,000, a sale on May 20 for $551,000, and a 136‑acre lease that closed yesterday for $565,000. He estimated that a statutory share from those four transactions alone would have yielded about $386,000 for Potter County and local taxing districts.
"If Representative Houser's bill were to pass, the share of those transactions alone ... would have brought $386,000 in Potter County and the townships and the school districts," Heiml said, urging colleagues and residents to help persuade legislators. He said he is meeting with members of the House and has enlisted the support of local education leaders, including Dr. Floyd Pierce of the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, who has produced graphics illustrating how much local tax base is state‑owned and therefore not currently taxable.
Heiml said the proposal calls also for sharing revenue from shale gas leases and that the county is pushing for a 20% share of certain proceeds. He framed the bill as a way to relieve pressure on the local property tax base, noting Potter County has a relatively small amount of fully taxable land compared with the large acreage of state‑owned forest and park lands.
The commissioners applauded Heiml’s advocacy and said they would support outreach to legislators. No formal county action was taken on the bill during the meeting; Heiml’s remarks were presented as a report and a request for continued advocacy.
Next steps: Heiml said he will continue meetings with legislators and partners; the commission did not set a formal county resolution or vote on the matter at this session.
