Too many rural communities invest in businesses that export, rather than build, local wealth. Home Town Competitiveness (HTC) and its partners encourage communities to become involved in nurturing local enterprise in three specific areas:
• Saving Main Street and other key businesses through planned ownership succession
• Creating new wealth and good jobs by helping entrepreneurial companies
• Using local charitable assets to support entrepreneurship development
Rural residents do not always recognize local wealth because so much of it is through land ownership. Literally billions of dollars are at stake over the next few decades. However, the power to use these assets will no longer belong to the community unless planned gifts are fostered now. HTC encourages communities to set a target of converting at least 5 percent of local wealth transfer into charitable assets endowed in community foundations to support future community and economic development efforts.
Often young people do not return to their hometowns. HTC has developed a formula that small towns can use in their efforts to halt this trend. Using existing data on population change, the formula provides small towns with realistic goals for youth attraction. HTC teaches people how to target youth for attraction, create career opportunities through business transfer and entrepreneurial support, and nurture a sense of ownership and vested interest in the community’s future leaders.
HTC believes that strong community leadership is a primary pillar for prosperous rural communities and is the bonding agent that brings the other three pillars together. For rural communities to compete in the 21st century they must tap into everyone’s talent as well as increase their leadership capacity. You will hear about resources available for Kansas communities, success stories that have been achieved and practical solutions to real issues experienced by rural communities.
Wildflower expert, Jeff Hansen, from the Kansas Native Plant Society will lead the tour that will last till sunset. This will be a good opportunity to understand the function of the Tallgrass Prairie and the plants that make it work.
The Kansas State Historical Society will be in the newly designated Historic District of Alma to perform a Historic Tax Credit Workshop. Professionals will be available to assist in explaining the use of tax credits, how to earn tax credits and other benefits that come with Historic Designation.
