Economic Development Corporation Eyes Housing incentives, Approves Land Bank Application Packet
Summary
Pratt County and city representatives heard an update from the local economic development corporation May 29. The corporation said it will launch a housing-focused incentive program alongside an existing incentive grant, is shifting toward reimbursement-style grants, and the city has passed a land bank application process to be included on an
At a joint Pratt County–city recess meeting on May 29, members heard an update from the local economic development corporation on housing and commercial development work and funding allocation.
Chase Collie, identified in the meeting as the current chair of the economic development corporation, told officials the board has completed a housing study and is developing a separate housing incentive program to complement an existing incentive grant that currently excludes housing. The housing initiative under consideration would offer a cash-back incentive—described in broad terms during the meeting as a percentage of unit cost, with 5% used as an illustrative example—payable after developers submit completion receipts for eligible units.
Collie and other attendees said the corporation is prioritizing development at Sandy Creek and considering measures to make property and utility-ready sites more attractive to builders. The corporation also reported having about $300,000 in combined unrestricted funds after recovering part of a previous $150,000 contract payment; participants said $75,000 had been repaid so far and the balance-recovery process is underway.
During the discussion, commissioners and corporation members reviewed how incentive programs have been administered in the past. Officials said the corporation is shifting toward reimbursement-style awards to reduce the risk of paying before projects are completed. They also discussed neighborhood revitalization authority and noted the program must be approved through a state process and that the statutory purpose is focused on blighted areas; meeting remarks warned that the program’s authorization expiration date (as stated in the meeting transcript) should be reviewed for accuracy before next steps are taken.
The corporation and commissioners also discussed administrative costs. Meeting participants identified a $60,000 total county allocation to economic development, of which attendees said roughly $17,000 goes directly to the economic development corporation while approximately $43,000 covers administrative costs paid to other entities (including the chamber). Participants asked staff to provide updated agreements showing current administrative payments and to clean up corporate housekeeping and records.
The city reported it has passed a land bank ordinance and that an application packet for a five‑member land bank committee will appear in the city packet for the upcoming Monday meeting. Meeting attendees said the county will monitor that rollout and could join or contribute later.
No formal county vote to change funding amounts occurred during the session; commissioners asked for follow-up documents and for the corporation to provide updated agreements and budget details for review.
