School: Harvard Kennedy School

Placement: MA Executive Office for Administration and Finance

Project Description: Kara will be supporting a Governor’s Commission on MA’s State-Owned Land Payment-In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) program. The PILOT program compensates municipalities for lost local property tax revenue related to state owned land, such as state parks, forests, and wildlife sanctuaries. The Commission will explore the equity of the current program and how the state quantifies and compensates municipalities for the ecological value of conservation land. As a Rappaport Fellow, Kara will support the planning and execution of regional listening sessions to solicit local perspectives on the PILOT program, synthesize findings and develop materials for the commission, and analyze historical data.