The Barton County Commission Tuesday morning approved proceeding with a county-wide Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, the goal of which is to unify the economic development incentive program among the county and all the cities.

This action followed a public hearing to receive comments on the NRP, but none were presented. 

“This plan is intended as a cooperative effort with area taxing districts to promote the revitalization and development of Barton County by stimulating new construction, rehabilitation, conservation or redevelopment within Barton County,” said County Appraiser Wendy Prosser. It standardizes NRPs across the county.

Now, each city in the county has its own plan. These are all set to expire at year’s end.

The commission also OKed a resolution on the matter effective Jan. 1, 2022. It will now be submitted to area taxing districts for review and approval.

It was also followed by the approval of an interlocal agreement joining Barton County to area taxing districts under the plan. Taxing districts include area cities, school districts, recreation commissions, townships, Barton Community College as well as fire, cemetery, hospital, extension, watershed and library districts.  

Once all parties have signed the interlocal agreement, the plan will be sent to the Kansas Attorney General for final approval, Prosser said.

The goal is to have it submitted to the state by the end of October and effective as of the first of next year. This way, the cities with existing plans won’t see a lapse after their existing plans expire. 

Plan details

“So what this means is each of the cities that currently have plans worked with us and came up with a new revised program that would benefit not only the individuals and citizens within their town, but also those that live out in the rural area outside of the city limits as well,” she said. They held meetings with those different entities and came up with different criteria for eligibility. 

The program is a tax rebate on properties that qualify based on eligibility for residential, commercial (including agricultural) properties, she said. 

For residential, a minimum of $10,000 must be invested, and the completed project must increase the parcel’s assessed value by 5%. For commercial properties, the minimum investment is $20,000 and the completed project must increase the assessed value by 10%.

“The NRP is really to help encourage taxpayers to reinvest in their properties,” said County Counselor Patrick Hoffman. “We decided for the county to be the first taxing entity to agree to the interlocal and pass it. This master plan should hopefully be a blueprint” for the other entities to follow.

They have plans to present it to all the cities. And, they will also meet with the townships and other bodies that want to participate.

Through the improvements, the plan “helps not only protect public health, safety and welfare of our county residents, but also promotes and improves the overall quality of life in our county,” Prosser said. 

She stressed that by giving a tax rebate on the increase in value, it’s not giving away tax dollars that are already there. Instead, it’s only delaying the time that the entities will receive the tax dollars for new construction.

In addition, in order to qualify, a property owner must be current on their taxes.

“So it’s not taking away any of the tax bases currently,” she said. “They’re just extending when they will receive the tax base.”

Although the plan consolidates requirements for the rebates, there is room for each entity to personalize the measure. For example: Parts of Great Bend have a 10-year rebate while parts have five; Hoisington has 10; and Ellinwood has eight.

A lot of support

“It’s a bigger deal than most people realize,” said District 3 Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson. In addition to Prosser and Hoffman, many other county officials and city representatives were involved in the complex effort.

“One of the things is that we have been really focused on stimulating the local economy,” said District 5 Commissioner Jennifer Schartz. Between this and the Facade Grant Program, “we’re doing everything in our power to keep our county strong.”

“When I came to Barton County 15 years ago, a lot of people wanted it to be out in the county because they weren’t able to take advantage of it,” said District 2 Commissioner Barb Esfeld, who is the former county appraiser.”So this is huge.”

It may mean more work for Prosser and here office, but it still benefits the taxpayers and cities, she said.