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Finances, Labor, Wages, & Training

Washington County's Economy is basically agriculture, yet morediversification of industry is taking place.

The strong work ethic of the people and the employment stabilityattests to the low unemployment in the county. Our Job Bank and jobsurveys indicate people are seeking employment. People are employedoutside the county that would return to work in the county if jobswere available to them. The percentage of the labor force inWashington County that is unionized is zero.
There have been no work stoppages in the past 10 years.

The Kansas Department of Commerce collaborates with other stateagencies to administer a comprehensive assortment ofgovernment-funded job training programs. Customized training packagesare available for companies wanting to locate new or restructureexisting facilities in Kansas. Federal and state dollars are used torespond quickly to the training need of Kansas employers.

Financial Information

A Revolving Loan Fund is available inWashington County for industry of local and EDA funds in conjunctionwith the North Central Regional Planning Commission. These funds areused as leverage to obtain other financing.

The Small Business Administration assistsbusinesses to obtain long-term, low down-payment financing for avariety of needs, including fixed assets and working capital throughthe SBA 7(a) Guaranty or the SBA 503/504 loan program.

Community Development Block Grant is a loanavailable through the Kansas Department of Commerce and housing withthe creation of jobs. Applications will be considered periodicallyduring the year. Matching Funds are necessary. The grant ceiling is$500,000.

Business loans are available through the Farmers HomeAdministraiton of $500,000 or more with equity injectionof 10 percent for existing businesses and 20 to 25 percent for newbusinesses.

Venture Capital funds are available for elitebusinesses having an excellent project with adequate equityinvestment.

Industrial Revenue Bonds are available throughgovernmental agencies and are tax exempt for manufacturing.

The Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporationaccepts proposals for cooperative research matching grants betweenindustry and research institutions.

Local Banks are available for financing. Thereare nine banks located in the county with (approximate) total assetsof $412,117,000. This includes the assets of banks with severalbranch offices.

Several of the banks have two or more locations:
Citizens National Bank--Greenleaf, Belleville, & Concordia
First National Bank--Washington
Peoples National Bank--Washington, Linn, Concordia, & ClayCenter
Citizens State Bank--Hanover, Waterville, & Marysville
First National Bank--Clifton
Bank of Palmer--Palmer and Barnes
Citizens State Bank--Haddam