Rooks County

Employee Recruitment Incentive

Terms and Requirements

The Employee Recruitment Incentive from NWKEICI will be used to disburse incentive funds to qualified workforce relocating to Rooks County with the following provisions:

  • Recipients must relocate residency into Rooks County from outside the 26 county DG Hansen territory (see map below) into Rooks County and take full-time employment with an employer that meets the wage/salary criteria set forth in the table below, OR be a recent graduate of a regional community college, tech school or university relocating into Rooks County to take full-time employment that meets wage/salary set forth in the table below.
  • Employers who agree to the terms of the incentive program will forward employment/wage/residency verification and 1099 form to the RCED Office for the potential recipient, where it will be reviewed for incentive payment by the Recruitment Team.
  • Participating employers will be required to submit annual update summary reports of recruited/relocated employee status of employment/wage/residency for 24 months after employment.
  • The NWKEICI incentive will be paid to employee upon verification of 12 months continued employment and 12 months residency within Rooks County.

Wage/Salary Requirements

Base Wage/Salary Total Incentive
$15.50/hour to $17.50/hour  OR

$32,000/year to $36,400/year

  

$1,000
$17.50/hour to $20.00/hour  OR

$36,401/year to $41,600/year

  

$2,000

 
$20.00/hour to $24.00/hour  OR

$41,601/year to $50,000/year

  

$3,000

 
$50,001/year to $75,000/year  

$4,000
$75,001/year and over  

$5,000

 

Additional Incentives

Additional incentives for recruitment purposes include:

  • State ROZ Participation: Rooks County has been an active participant in the State Rural Opportunity Zone (ROZ) program since its inception. We currently have 18 residents involved in the program that reimburses student tuition.  Rooks Co. has committed $28,000 as match for each year of the program.  Employers are also eligible to be the match partner.  We have had 2 businesses participate as match partners for the ROZ program.                                         
  • State ROZ Income Tax Credit:  As part of the ROZ program, approved applicants are also eligible for the State Income Tax Credit for the five-year period.
  • Neighborhood Revitalization Plan:  Rooks County has the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan (NRP) in place that allows for a rebate of property taxes for new construction on a declining scale over a 10-year period. This program incentivizes the construction of new homes to help attract new residents.

Rooks County is a county of just under 5,000 population located in North Central Kansas.  The county has six incorporated communities: Plainville, Stockton, Palco, Damar, Woodston, Zurich, and the unincorporated community of Codell.  The major industries of the area are agriculture, oil production, healthcare, manufacturing, and service-related businesses. 

Click here: Recruitment Incentive Application (1) to access the application.  Please consult with your proposed employer regarding this program.  You can also contact Roger Hrabe at the Rooks County Economic Development Office.