Bourbon County commissioners weigh $12,500 subscription to Make My Move if Fort Scott joins

Bourbon County commissioners discussed whether to join Make My Move, a private relocation-marketing website, and whether the county should pay a $12,500 subscription fee if the City of Fort Scott also participates.

County commissioners and staff focused on the program’s cost, available incentives and where that $12,500 would come from amid an already stretched general fund. Greg Motley, who described the program to the commission, said it was created by the people behind Angie’s List and is designed to market rural communities to prospective movers. "Make My Move is a new initiative from the people who did, Angie's List," Motley said, explaining the site and app allow counties to present local amenities and incentives to prospective residents.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the county lacks discretionary general-fund cash to absorb the fee without transfers from other lines. County staff pointed to multiple shortfalls in the current budget — including juvenile detention costs, courthouse liability and other overages — and told commissioners the commission’s contingency reserves are limited. Staff flagged a $10,000 computer fund and employee-benefit savings tied to vacancies as possible but imperfect sources; several commissioners cautioned against using road-and-bridge funds or IT reserves for the subscription because doing so could threaten road maintenance or daily operations.

Details of the proposal and funding debate The county was offered a one-time setup fee of $12,500 to join Make My Move for the initial year. Meeting presenters said the State of Kansas and the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission (SEK RPC) would subsidize part of the regional effort: the state was described as funding roughly 80 percent of the regional contract and providing a relocation incentive amount mentioned at different points in the discussion (participants referenced both $6,800 and $7,500 in the meeting). Commissioners noted four other Southeast Kansas counties — Neosho, Montgomery, Wilson and Cherokee — had already signed on, with Crawford and Allen counties cited as having passed similar measures.

Commissioners and staff debated which local incentives would be county responsibilities and which would be city responsibilities. County staff and commissioners said most employers and many incentives would be centered in Fort Scott; several commissioners said they would not commit county funds unless the city agreed to an equal or coordinated contribution. County staff recommended using city staff for much of the administrative work because Fort Scott already has an economic development employee and a housing staffer who work with SEK RPC and could attend meetings on the city’s clock.

Funding concerns and timeline County finance staff told commissioners the general fund is strained and that several budget lines already exceed projections, including juvenile detention and courthouse costs. Staff identified a $250,000 contingency reserve used for litigation and said it was too small to repurpose without risk. Staff estimated about $9,000 could be available from short-term employee-benefit savings tied to vacancies, but could not provide a firm number during the meeting. Commissioners discussed but resisted using road-and-bridge money or the computer fund for the subscription.

Next steps and outcome A commissioner moved to approve the county paying its share for the Make My Move subscription if the City of Fort Scott agreed to participate; that motion received no second and therefore did not pass. Commissioners agreed to ask Fort Scott’s officials to decide quickly and to reconvene if necessary. Multiple commissioners said they would be willing to meet again on short notice if the city notified the county before the grant submission deadline later in the week. The commission later took a separate, unanimous vote to adjourn.