School act passes

Concerns that the Secure Rural Schools Act would not pass and Mineral County would be forced into a tenuous financial situation were alleviated when the act passed as part of the economic bailout plan recently signed by President Bush.

Commissioners were concerned that without the money provided by the Secure Rural Schools Act, they would have to dig into their principle to fund the county’s road department and schools may have been forced to levy non-permissive mills, forcing county taxpayers to shoulder the burden of funding the schools.

“We’re glad it passed,” Mineral County Commissioner Judy Stang said.

The county will receive $5.2 million over the next four years. Payments of $1,508,840.70, $1,357,956.63, $1,222,160.97, and $1,099,944.87 will be made each year from 2008 through 2011.

The county has received $764,890 each year since the act originally passed in 2000, and the new provisions of the act will provide a significant boost to the county’s road and school funding.

The commissioners said Tuesday that they had not looked at exactly how much money they would be receiving from the act. However, this year they budgeted for $764,890.

Stang said that the extra money will only benefit the road department and county schools, but it will be a great help to both.

“We can always use the money,” Stang said.

The Montana state government decides how to divide up the money provided by the Secure Rural Schools Act. Two-thirds of it go to the county’s road department and one-third goes to the counties schools. A small portion also goes to the county’s general fund.

The Secure Rural Schools Act was originally included in a tax measure that passed in the U.S. Senate, but not the House. Had it not been part of the economic bailout package, commissioners would have had to wait until January to find out whether or not they would receive funding through the Secure Rural Schools Act.

Stang said that while the money will be a great help to the county, the act is by no means a permanent solution.

She said that the county should go back to funding their road and school departments through timber receipts, which is how they were funded before 2000.

Stang said that with the current decline in the timber market the receipts would only provide about $150,000 per year, but with help for the timber industry that number could be increased and counties would not have to depend on the federal government for funding.