Since land in public ownership is not subject to property tax, the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program annually compensates towns for lost revenue. The Lands Administration and Recreation Division administers the PILOT program for the Agency of Natural Resources, determining the base payment for each new acquisition by multiplying the most recent municipal tax rate by the property’s value as assessed by the town on April 1st in the year of acquisition. Therefore, the Agency will annually fund towns what they would have received under private land ownership. Because the non-residential tax rate is set statewide, and because the non-residential school tax is paid into the State Education Fund, the loss of the school tax on a newly acquired parcel will be made up by all property taxpayers throughout Vermont. The parcel acreage listed in the PILOT reports provided below represents the official acreage for all Agency lands.
Beginning in FY2022, the Agency of Natural Resources Secretary may recommend that the Legislature make an adjustment to PILOT base payments in periods of no less than three years and no more than five years. The Secretary shall request funding for the adjustment in the annual budget report to the Legislature.
The statute that provides the authority to the Agency and sets forth the formula is Title 32 Chapter 123 § 3708.
Below are spreadsheets for PILOT payments by town since 2016 (Fiscal Year 2017):
2021 (Fiscal Year 2022) PILOT Payment by Town
2020 (Fiscal Year 2021) PILOT Payment by Town
2019 (Fiscal Year 2020) PILOT Payment by Town
2018 (Fiscal Year 2019) PILOT Payment by Town
2017 (Fiscal Year 2018) PILOT Payment by Town
2016 (Fiscal Year 2017) PILOT Payment by Town