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Riley County staff recommend pursuing second-round "Home in the Heartland" grant to keep mover program running
Summary
Planning Director Amanda Webb told commissioners the county's recruitment program has 17 approved movers, a roughly 500-person application pipeline, and that applying for another round of state funding (up to $250,000) will require the commission to decide how many movers to fund and what local match to commit.
Amanda Webb, Riley County Planning Director, updated the board on the county's "Home in the Heartland" relocation incentive program and recommended the county consider applying for the state treasurer's second funding round, which closes Aug. 12.
"We have 17 movers right now," Webb said, outlining that 15 households are in the offered/accepted phases and that the county's existing program cost was about $230,000, funded in part by an approximately $187,000 state grant and a roughly $41,000 local portion (including about $15,000 in-kind). She said the state program permit request maximum is $250,000 and the county can scale its match and in-kind contribution to the number of movers it chooses to support.
The board asked staff to return with cost scenarios for 10, 15 and 20 movers and with Make My Move contract estimates so commissioners can decide how much to include in a 2026 amendment and the 2027 budget. Webb also said the program has a large initial pipeline — "about 500 in the initial pipeline" — but that many applicants still need to complete eligibility steps.
Why it matters: the program offers a direct economic-development tool to encourage household relocation and can be scaled by local match and contract costs. The commission did not take a final vote but directed staff to provide the requested cost breakdowns in advance of the Aug. 12 state application deadline.
