Oxbow NWR Final CCP - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Refuge Sign: Staff photo
Chapter 3: Refuge and Resource Descriptions
Chapter 3: Refuge and Resource Descriptions
Socioeconomic Setting
The Refuge Revenue Sharing Act of June 15, 1935, as amended, provides
annual payments to taxing authorities, based on acreage and value of
refuge lands located within their jurisdiction. Money for these payments
comes from the sale of oil and gas leases, timber sales, grazing fees, the
sale of other Refuge System resources, and from Congressional
appropriations. The Congressional appropriations are intended to make up
the difference between the net receipts from the Refuge Revenue Sharing
Fund and the total amount due to local taxing authorities. The actual
Refuge Revenue Sharing Payment does vary from year to year, because
Congress may or may not appropriate sufficient funds to make full
payment.
The Refuge Revenue Sharing Payments are based on one of three
different formulas, whichever results in the highest payment to the
local taxing authority. In Massachusetts, the payments are based on
three-quarters of one percent of the appraised market value. The
purchase price of a property is considered its market value until the
property is reappraised. The Service reappraises the value of refuge
lands every five years, and the appraisals are based on the land’s
“highest and best use”. On wetlands and formerly farmland-assessed
properties, the full entitlement Refuge Revenue Sharing Payments
sometimes exceeds the real estate tax. In other cases, Refuge Revenue
Sharing payments may be less than the local real estate tax.
The fact that refuges put little demand on the infrastructure of a
municipality, must be considered in assessing the financial impact on the
municipality. For example, there is no extra demand placed on the school
system and little extra demand on roads, utilities, police and fire protection,
etc. Additionally, local communities may receive benefits, such as increased
tourism revenues from visitors. The owner of land adjacent to refuge land,
or with acquisition boundary, retains any and all the rights, privileges, and
responsibilities of private land ownership. The refuge controls uses only on
the properties it owns.
Table 3-1: Revenue Sharing Payments for Towns Associated with Oxbow NWR
Ayer Harvard Lancaster Shirley
2003 $918 $16,677 $6 $748
2002 $956 $17,351 $7 $778
2001 $1,023 $17,328 $7 $833
2000 $1,002 $5,193 $7 $816
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
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