Legislation Brings More Funding For Schools And RAC Projects

By Linda Kor
    Navajo County, like many counties, has substantial U.S. National Forests within its boundaries, so there are many areas of land in public ownership, which can neither be developed nor taxed to generate revenue from economic activity or taxation. As a result, these counties have received Forest Reserve payments for roads and schools under the terms of the Agricultural Reapportionment Act of 1908.
   Unfortunately, in the past decade federal land policies have shifted away from multiple use land management, and Congress has recognized that as having a negative impact on local communities and the health of our national forests.
   In response to this concern, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act was reauthorized and amended on Oct. 3. Congress amended this act in an effort to reconnect local communities with decisions made on their national forests, and to invest in improving the health of our forests and watersheds.
   Navajo County Superintendent of Schools Linda Morrow and County Finance Director James Menlove went before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday to explain this new legislation. This decision by Congress allows the school districts and the county Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) the choice of staying with the current system or opting to accept the new legislation presented by Congress. The option allows for a four-year safety net so that counties may either receive the traditional annual payment of 25 percent from the Forest Reserve Receipts or select four years of payments based on a formula provided in the new legislation.
   The revised act will include a new formula based on a full funding amount that will ramp down from 2009-2011, with the county’s adjusted share of the state payment for fiscal year 2008 being $2,076,433. In comparison, the original 25 percent of the Forest Reserve Receipts for 2008 would come to a mere $61,271.
   Given the options, Morrow stated that it wasn’t a difficult choice. “Obviously, we want to go with the bigger share of funds,” she stated.
   The formula includes 50 percent of the timber sales in the nation and 50 percent based on the number of acres of the National Forest. California and Oregon get the bulk of timber sales, but Arizona has the larger acreage and the formula is tweaked further for counties with low to medium income. That is what gave the county so much of the funding, said Morrow.
   Since the amount comes to more than $350,000, the law requires that at least 15 percent, but no more than 20 percent, of the funds be spent on RAC projects under Title II and/or Title III.
   According to Morrow, it would be more prudent to spend the full 15 percent on Title II, since any funds spent on Title III would affect the PILT (payment in lieu of taxes) funds for that program. Morrow stated that this would be the most efficient use of the funds, since Title II is less restrictive and can cover some of the projects under Title III, such as forest thinning and watershed projects.
   Given these figures, $25,000 of the funding will go toward road contribution, $31,000 will go to Title II projects, $640,000 will be distributed directly to 11 school districts and Hope School, and $1,100,433 will be divided among 11 public school districts to be distributed through the county supervisors.
   This money will be shared directly with public school districts in partnership with Navajo County ($220,000 per supervisorial district) to be spent to directly benefit the public school districts.
   The board approved three resolutions in order to receive a share of the state payment under the Secure Rural Schools Act, including county allocations for school districts and Title II project. The first resolution in regards to opting in or out of the House Resolution Safety Net; the second resolution designating 15 to 20 percent of the Safety Net full payment amount to be allocated to local projects and specifying that 15 percent of the funding to be allocated to Title II projects; and the third to continue with the geographical configuration of the RAC.
   In other business Nov. 4, the board:
   * Reappointed Joel Lawson as the District III representative on the planning and zoning commission.
   * Appointed William “Bill” Rawlings as the District V representative on the planning and zoning commission.
   * Approved and accepted the dedication plat submitted by the RFK Silver Creek Corporation of AZ, dedicating a portion of Silver Lake Blvd. in White Mountain Lakes as a public roadway.
   * Approved a letter to State Senator Chuck Gray stating support for the continuation of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
   * Approved of the issuance of a letter of termination of the New Horizons Villas dock contract with Steven Kurth.
   * Approved the final plat for the Cedar Mesa Ridge subdivision near Shumway.
   * Approved a professional service contract with J.E. Fuller Hydrology and Geomorphology, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $45,000.