Nevada gets more in federal land payout

By Associated Press

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s getting more money than expected from a government program that pays counties based on the amount of federally managed land within their borders.

Gov. Brian Sandoval announced this week that Nevada would get $25 million this year from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program.

The sum is about $2 million more than Nevada expected, and Sandoval thanked Nevada’s congressional representatives for their work securing the bonus.

The program compensates counties that can’t collect property taxes on large swaths of land because it’s managed by the federal government. Nevada especially benefits from the program because more than 80 percent of its land is federal.

Elko and Washoe counties are getting the biggest payouts, with $3.4 million apiece.