Counties in Idaho get about $27M in fed funds
Secure Rural Schools money goes mostly to schools, roads in counties with lots of federal land
Several rural counties in Idaho are set to receive a total of $26.9 million in funds from the federal Secure Rural Schools program, the Idaho congressional delegation and state treasurer Julie Ellsworth announced this week.
Idaho received the third-highest total in the U.S., behind California and Oregon.
“I appreciate our delegation and the work they do for Idaho to secure this appropriation,” Ellsworth said in a news release sent Tuesday. “This funding is so important to our rural communities and my office is working to get these dollars into the hands of our Idaho counties.”
The funds are meant to benefit schools and infrastructure maintenance in counties with federal lands exempt from property taxes. Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act in 2000 to help stabilize the funds available to rural communities.
The funds are administered by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and are distributed based on a formula that includes economic activity and timber harvest levels, according to the release from Sen. Mike Crapo’s office.
“Because of Idaho’s abundance of national forests and federal lands where federal taxes are not collected, many rural counties in Idaho depend on the payments provided through SRS as an alternative source of education funding,” U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said in the release. “We must keep the promises we make to states and localities, and I’m pleased to see these funds allocated to our rural Idaho communities.”
Idaho County will collect more funds than any other county in the state, with more than $6.8 million coming its way. The county has 4.4 million acres of federal land.
About $1.3 million will be directed to Clearwater County, with most of that going to schools and roads. Clearwater County Treasurer Dawn Erlewine said the county commissioners will decide how exactly these funds are distributed.
Much smaller amounts will go to Latah County ($188,591), Nez Perce County ($3,018) and Lewis County ($4.73).
The funds are split into three categories; Title I funds are for roads and schools, Title II for projects on federal lands, and Title III are for county projects, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Ada County received a little over $3,000 due to activity from the Boise National Forest. Under Idaho law, 30% of the funds can go to counties for schools and the remaining 70% is earmarked for roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects, the release said.
Boise County is set to receive $991,106 and Elmore County will get nearly $1.4 million. Valley County, which includes the Payette, Boise, and Salmon national forests, is slated to receive around $1.9 million.
Valley County Commissioner Sherry Maupin said the county will distribute the funds to schools based on the program’s share allocation. Valley County received a total of $1.6 million in Title I funds.
Maupin said the around $135,000 in Title III money will be used for wildfire mitigation and the remaining funds will go to the road department for operational funding.
“Valley County does not collect property taxes for road maintenance. We use State revenue share, gas tax and SRS funding to fund our department,” Maupin said in an email.
Adams County, which includes Payette National Forest and the cities of Council and New Meadows, will get around $819,000. Adams County Clerk Sherry Ward said these federal funds have always been earmarked for road and bridge maintenance.
U.S. Senators for Idaho, Republicans Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, both wrote in statements that these funds are important for local schools but called for another solution to the issue.
“Infrastructure and education in Idaho’s rural counties benefit greatly from SRS payments, but a permanent solution is needed,” Crapo said in the news release. “Adequate funding for schools, roads and infrastructure repair will only be guaranteed once we can reach agreement on a self-contained funding mechanism outside the yearly votes in Congress, and we are working toward the goal of a more permanent solution.”
Risch said, “While I am pleased these payments have been secured for important improvement projects and wildfire prevention efforts, we must continue to fight for a lasting solution our communities can count on.”
Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.
