Ongoing

Phillips County Neighborhood Revitalization Plan Property Tax Rebate Program:

One of the primary reasons the Phillips County Neighborhood Revitalization Plan (NRP) is being pursued across the entire county, is to encourage growth for our businesses and communities through improvements.  It has been proven in many counties which have long standing, revitalization plan, that such a plan; 1) increases potential for existing businesses to want to grow, 2) increases potential for new business creation, 3) increases the potential for new housing development, and 4) provides better opportunity for new residents to purchase these new homes utilizing the plan (faster turnover with home purchase). 

The Phillips County NRP is simply a property tax rebate program.  It will be county-wide and include those taxing districts that choose to become a part of it.  This program DOES NOT allow any CURRENT paid (established) property taxes from being paid by property owners; so, there is not any loss of current revenues.  It is designed to provide a ‘percentage’ of their taxes to be rebated ONLY on NEW IMPROVEMENTS made on properties.  This rebate program will be for future property improvements.

 To qualify an improvement MUST be over $10,000 dollars in appraised value.  A rebate cap of a $150,000 appraised value dollars will be placed on housing, with the exception to be made on multi-family dwelling construction projects.  A qualified applicant for the rebate program will only get the tax rebate after paying in that year’s full taxes on the improvement.  The qualified applicant also must be current on ALL his taxes to be involved with the program.  

Rural Opportunity Zone (ROZ):

Rural Opportunity Zone: Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law the Rural Opportunity Zones (ROZs) program. ROZs are designed to reverse dramatic population declines over the past decade in rural areas of Kansas. Phillips County is designated as a ROZ county.

      The program has two main incentives:

        –A state income tax exemption for up to five years to individuals who move to a ROZs county from outside the state. Individuals must not have lived in Kansas for the past five years, nor have Kansas source income of more than $10,000 per year over the past five years.
       –Student loan forgiveness of up to $3,000 per year ($15,000 maximum       benefit) for individuals who graduate from an accredited post-secondary institution and move to a ROZs county. The student loan forgiveness portion of the program is a county-state partnership, and counties must opt in to participate. Phillips County is in the process of becoming an opt in county.

Marketing:

Market Phillips County as being a destination for opportunities and encourage entrepreneurs to start business in Phillips County. One marketing approach is the moving billboard to attract people to “Discover Phillips County”. Coomes’ Inc provided the semi trailer and Sign Solutions designed and installed the wrap for the semi trailer. The semi trailer will be shipping goods across the country; therefore, it is coast-to-coast marketing. Our county welcomes visitors, new residents, and businesses.

Schallert Destination Business BootCamp:

Phillips County Economic Development was the first county in the nation to make a long term (four year) commitment toward sending six business owners and one community coordinator  within the Community Reinvestment Program to the  “Destination Business BootCamp“.   Phillips County Economic Development provides a sponsorship to the Schallert Bootcamp Program which pays for an approved attendee’s registration. Twelve Phillips County businesses have attended the program.

Sub Committees of PCED:

Legacy Committee: Dedicated senior volunteers whose mission is to lay the ground work for a group of seniors to identify county wide issues of concern to the elderly and to seek solutions to those problems as would relate to the current seniors and those to come.

Scholarship Committee: Select the recipients of the Nontraditional Student Scholarship.