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"Mercer, Lawrence Counties to Get Game Commission Payments"
"HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Mercer and Lawrence counties will get checks totaling nearly $13,000 as the Pennsylvania Game Commission mails its annualĀ in-lieu-of-tax payments for State Game Lands it owns in 65 of the state's 67 counties, according to Vern Ross, executive director of the agency. The Game Commission's checks, totaling nearly $1.72 million for the 2004 tax year, will be sent to county treasurers, school districts and municipalities prior to Sept. 1, he said.Mercer County will receive $8.577.83 for 7,148.18 acres of state-owned land; Lawrence County will receive $3,326.06 for 2,771.72 acres."Since 1929, the Game Commission has made in-lieu-of-tax payments to local governments to offset the loss of potential property tax revenues," Ross explained. "However, State Game Lands do not draw on municipal services. In fact, in most cases, State Game Lands attract people to communities to pursue hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing. This makes them an economic benefit to these communities without causing a drain on municipal services, such as schools, water or sewer services, public maintenance or police protection."Since 1920, the Game Commission has been acquiring State Game Lands by using revenues generated from hunting and furtaking license sales; timber, coal, oil, gas and mineral sales from the properties as well as the state's share of a federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, Ross said. These lands are managed by the Game Commission to serve as wildlife habitats and public hunting and trapping grounds. The Game Commission has State Game Land holdings in every county except for Philadelphia and Delaware, Ross said.In 1929, the General Assembly set the Game Commission's in-lieu-of-tax payments at 5 cents per acre, according to Ross. In 1963, the rate was increased to 20 cents per acre; in 1980, 39 cents; and in 1984, 60 cents. The present rate of $1.20 per acre was set in 1995. The per-acre payments are divided evenly between the county, school district and municipal governments based on the acres of State Game Lands that are within each political subdivision, Ross said.The commission currently pays on a total of 1,429,605.38 acres statewide, he added."