Fighting for the interests of rural Montana

I serve as a commissioner in a county where nearly 50 percent of the land is federally owned. There are some Montana counties, such as Mineral and Sanders counties, where the federal government owns more than 80 percent of the lands.

While we all value our public lands and how they afford us our unique way of life, the issues that rural counties face is that, because so much of our land is public, it’s left off the tax rolls. Every year we have to fight for Montana counties’ share of funds to offset the loss of these funds. This is a vital issue for rural Montana counties and an issue where we need allies in state government who will help make our case.

That’s why I joined the National Association of Counties in Washington, D.C., Sept. 7 to Sept. 9 to urge members of Congress to support a full investment in the Payment in Lieu to Taxes program. PILT is a program to offset the absence of property tax revenue from federal lands in the affected counties.

The federal government has a responsibility to fund PILT, but every year we have to go back to Washington, D.C. and fight for Montana’s share. Without Congressional action there could be significant shortfalls in county budgets across the United States, jeopardizing money for vital services such as law enforcement, road maintenance and search and rescue. Without the PILT program these services would be much more difficult to fund.

The other side of this coin is that receving our share of PILT funds allows for better and easier access to our public lands since the money means better infrastructure and better services to those who recreate on public lands.

I was joined by Commissioner Greg Chilcott of Ravalli County Montana and Commissioner Ronnie Beale of North Carolina in my group. There were around 20 commissioners from various counties throughout the United States.

We were also able to have conversations with Department of Interior staff and U.S. Forest Service staff to discuss solutions for long term funding of PILT. Our Montana congressional delegation welcomed us and have been strong allies in the effort to secure the money owed to Montana counties.

While those of us in county and local government, particularly in rural counties, have to fight hard for the interests of our constituents, the current administration in Helena has largely ignored the concerns of rural Montanans. This is occurring on a number of issues from bison reintroduction, to issues of federal overreach such as Waters of the U.S. and the Clean Power Plan, to infrastructure.

This is why, as I travel the state, I’m constantly discussing the theme of a growing divide between the state government and rural Montana. My friends, and my neighbors and I are tired of having our concerns ignored by an administration that seems to care more about what environmentalists think than Montana’s farmers, ranchers and local officials.

This is the primary reason why I signed up to run for lieutenant governor with Greg Gianforte. Our administration will, once again, give rural Montana and agriculture a seat at the table in Helena. We’ll help our local governments fight for PILT funding, push back against federal overreach, and pass an infrastructure bill. Rather than be beholden to environmental groups or the federal government, we pledge to be beholden only to the people of Montana.

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Lesley Robinson is a fourth generation Montana rancher, a Phillips County commissioner, and a candidate for lieutenant governor of Montana.