Lane, Rooks, Russell, Scott and Woodson counties adopted Rural Opportunity Zones (ROZs) resolutions this week becoming full partners in the state’s effort to revitalize rural areas of Kansas, says Commerce Secretary Pat George.

With the adoption of the resolutions, individuals who move to one of these counties after July 1 can qualify to have 20 percent of their student loans repaid (up to $3,000 per year for up to five years) by the county and state, if the individuals graduated from an accredited post-secondary institution.

“So often today we give lip service to bringing our youth back to our small communities, but our actions don’t always back up our conversations,” said Roger Hrabe, Rooks County Economic Development Director. “The Rooks County Commission has been proactive in moving forward with the Rural Opportunity Zones tuition reimbursement program as a way to encourage our young people to explore opportunities in our county. Despite the struggle with population loss over the last few decades, our county has experienced an inflow of young people in recent years. They are anxious to raise their families in a safe, energetic, and progressive environment. Our hope is to build on that momentum through the Rural Opportunity Zones program.”

The ROZs program also provides a state income tax exemption for up to five years to individuals who relocate to a ROZs county from out of state. Counties do not need to opt in for individuals to participate in this portion of the program.

The program designates 50 counties as ROZs counties. They are Barber, Chautauqua, Cheyenne, Clark, Cloud, Comanche, Decatur, Edwards, Elk, Gove, Graham, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Mitchell, Morton, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Rawlins, Republic, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Scott, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Trego, Thomas, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wilson and Woodson.