One thing is clear from the recent state state Senate Game and Fisheries Committee public hearing on the state Game Commission’s land acquisition policy – rural areas are struggling as their tax base erodes from expanding public land acquisition.

Local government officials know there are benefits to expanding public land. It does help tourism. Some local companies benefit from oil and gas leases, timber sales and tourism activities. But those benefits often don’t help when the time comes each year to piece together a local budget that taxpayers can afford because so much land here is off the tax rolls. That means everyone else pays more to provide county services. Loss of tax base is one reason why some services like EMS remain private. Local governments can’t spread the cost over enough taxpayers to provide them-.

It was good to hear Stephen Smith, state game commissioner, say out loud that the concerns of state Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-Oil City, have been heard. But there is a difference between hearing an issue and changing a department’s behavior. And Smith’s answers to specific questions about policies that could help rural areas weren’t encouraging. There are limits in state law that are a problem for some of Hutchinson’s proposals, while at other times it was clear that Smith’s primary concern is with improving conditions for the Game Commissions’ primary users – those who hunt and fish – and not with the economic conditions of those who live in rural counties.

In our view, state lawmakers need to do two things. First, legislation that lifts the $400 per acre cap on Game Commission land purchases in more populous counties needs to be passed and signed into law. Such legislation would allow the Game Commission to expand its land holdings in areas where there isn’t as much public land, meaning rural areas aren’t as attractive to the commission.

Second, if the state is going to own so much land in rural areas, then it should pay PILOT agreements that are similar to what private land owners would pay. At some point, counties like Warren County will have to pay the piper for services like EMS. That will be easier if rural counties are properly compensated for the value of public land.