By Alyssa Scott
KU Statehouse Wire Service
TOPEKA – Located on the western border of Kansas, Greeley County is the least populated county in the state with 1,301 residents. During the past decade, the county experienced the state’s greatest population loss with a 19 percent drop. Since then, the county has been working to reverse the decline, benefitting from the Rural Opportunity Zones program which has bolstered the population, increased school enrollment and spurred home sales. Since the program’s beginning in 2011, it has brought 55 new residents to the county.
“Greeley County has spent the last 10 years working diligently to reverse population decline and to stabilize the community’s economy,” said Christy Hopkins, the county’s community development director. “As a community, we saw the program as a way to help draw trained, educated, productive individuals to Greeley County. We’re seeing population growth for the first time since the 1980s and we’re eager to see that continue.”
In 2011, a representative from the Kansas Department of Commerce introduced ROZ to the local Board of Supervisors as a way to increase the county’s population, which was 1,250 after the decade of decline. Mike Thon, a member of the board, said despite the cost of offering the program the board decided it was something the community needed to offset the decline. In the first year of the program, the county supported 14 participants for a total of $21,000.
“The biggest concern when we discussed it at our meeting was how far are we going to go with it, how deep we wanted to go and what kind of investment we wanted to make,” Thon said.
As a part of the ROZ program, individuals who move to Greeley County have the opportunity to earn student loan repayments of up to $15,000 over the course of five years. Half of the cost is covered by the state and the county is responsible for the remainder. Thon said although legislators and governors expressed concerns about the cost, the board was not concerned about the county paying $1,500 per participant each year.
“We’ve got 25 people enrolled and we are paying $1,500 a year per person, so that’s a sizeable investment, but look at the return we’ve received,” Thon said. “I know that there are counties that chose not to do the ROZ program or chose not to fund it to the degree that we and other counties have, but they haven’t experienced the positives that we’ve experienced.”
When households and family members are included, these 25 participants represent an additional 55 residents for the county. Hopkins said a goal of the program is to bring more young people to rural areas, and all but one of the 55 new residents in Greeley County are under the age of 40. These ROZ households account for 17 children, five of which are in school and 12 are pre-school age. Hopkins said school enrollment is an area that has recently grown with a 25 percent increase from 2013 to 2014.
“It doesn’t take many children enrolled in our school district to offset the cost of ROZ,” Thon said. “We’ve seen an increase in student enrollment in Greeley County and it’s not just because of the ROZ program, but we’ve seen growth where other counties haven’t and ROZ was a part of that.”
Ken Bockwinkel, superintendent of Greeley County Schools, said in addition to experiencing an increase in students, the school district has been able to hire more teachers. Since the student loan repayment is an incentive for individuals with degrees and certifications, Thon said it is an important recruiting tool for schools and hospitals.
“Working in schools, it’s hard to recruit teachers out here to western Kansas,” Bockwinkel said. “By having the ROZ program available, teachers can take advantage of that and hopefully stick around for more than just a year.”
Hopkins testified on behalf of ROZ at a House Taxation Committee meeting in March and listed business growth and additional housing construction as key areas of success for Greeley County as a result of the program. Participants have purchased seven homes and have also moved into four previously unoccupied family homes. They have also opened two new businesses: a financial planning office and an audiology clinic.
“Right now, and we haven’t had this for a long time, there is not a vacant store front on Main Street,” Thon said. “Drive through any small town in Kansas and say that. You can’t. You’re not going to find many communities like that across rural Kansas.”
With this, Greeley County has seen job growth and Thon said it ranks in the lowest three counties in the state in terms of unemployment. Despite common stereotypes, Hopkins said rural life has a lot to offer young people who have recently earned their degrees.
“Rural Kansas is a place of great opportunity,” Hopkins said. “From the entrepreneur looking to get his or her start to the job-seeker in a wide range of fields, rural Kansas has boundless potential.”
Melissa Borthwick, a physician’s assistant in Greeley County, is currently in her first year as an ROZ participant. Borthwick, who is originally from a rural town, said her goal was to move back to that lifestyle and earning student loan repayments from ROZ helped her do this.
“Personally, Greeley County has given me the opportunity to practice medicine in a way that a larger town would not allow, such as a wide range of conditions, a more independent practice and the opportunity to practice in the ER and clinic both daily,” Borthwick said.
Although Greeley County is still a small community, Thon said it is important for the government to continue giving attention and support to it.
“We may be small, but we have an impact,” Thon said. “We contribute to the overall productivity and overall well-being of the state of Kansas. Things like this that have a positive impact on us have positive impacts not just on us, but on the entire state.”
Alyssa Scott is a University of Kansas junior from Wichita majoring in journalism and French.