A bill before Kansas legislators Wednesday would extend and revamp a state program providing financial incentives to those moving to rural areas struggling with workforce retention. The Rural Opportunity Zones program provides designated counties an opportunity to offer income tax credits and student loan repayments in an effort to reverse population decline. Previously, these zones were decided by population loss, but under House Bill 2341 any county with a population of less than 35,000 would qualify. This would expand the program by 16 counties, bringing the total qualifying counties to 93. … a 2020 study indicated 30 counties did not commit any resources to the program and 80% of student loan recipients would have moved to the county regardless. While the study indicated the program has not reversed population decline as expected, supporters of the program believe a lack of incentive does not mean it has failed.
Source: Kansas Reflector
