Working remotely? This Kentucky city might pay you to relocate there.
The city of Paducah is offering an incentive program valued at an estimated $6,500 to lure to the area professionals who are working from home.
The incentive package includes up to $2,500 reimbursement for moving expenses, a $70 per month internet allowance for a year, a one-year payroll tax waiver and passes to cultural attractions. The city says in a news release that it will award the package to up to 25 applicants.
“We hope this program will not only bring 25 new families to Paducah but also allow even more people to learn about our special community,” Paducah Mayor George Bray said in the release. “With a vibrant arts community; a thriving downtown with shops, restaurants and attractions; and world-class people, Paducah is a great place to live, work and play.”
Bray said in an interview that, as a new mayor, the initiative was a priority for him and the city commission, and they budgeted $100,000 for it in their city budget.
“The pandemic has changed a lot of things for a lot of people,” he said. “Workers want to work from home. ... I think our timing is right on this.”
Bray said the river city’s population was up 8 percent in the most recent census, and it has recently attracted some new citizens without an incentive.
“They were looking for a lower cost of living, good quality of life,” he said. “We’ve got some real momentum going here.”
To receive the incentive, applicants must live at least 100 miles from Paducah, work full-time for a company with no offices within 100 miles and have written documentation from their employer that they can perform the majority of their work from home or from a shared co-working space in Paducah, according to a website providing information about the program.
They also must agree to live in Paducah for at least one year after their year of participation in the incentive program ends.
Ultimately, Bray said, some of the people the city hopes to attract “might stay here for the rest of their lives.”
The moving reimbursement can be used for “a renter’s deposit, down payment on a home, rental of moving trucks or trailers, the hiring of professional movers and/or the purchase of packing materials,” the city said in the release.
Memberships and passes to arts and educational institutions such as the Carson Center for the Performing Arts, Paducah Symphony Orchestra, Maiden Alley Cinema, Market House Theatre, Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce and more are included in the package. Those perks are valued at $1,150.
The application window for the Remote Workers Incentive Program is open now.
“Many professionals working within the creative industries are working remotely and looking for a creative community that can help inspire them,” Mary Hammond, executive director of the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in the release. “We hope these professionals will be among those who take advantage of this program and see that our creative culture is the lifeblood of our economy.”
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 8:43 PM.
