BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — The City of Bartlesville is trying a new tactic to bring more people to the area.
A pilot program was launched last year with Concho Resources and Conoco Phillips. The incentive program targets those relocating to the area for new jobs.
Bartlesville Development Authority President David Wood says each year the City loses employees to the Tulsa metro area so they knew they needed to do something to increase interest in staying.
Wood says although the Resident Recruitment Program is bringing people in, they're not choosing to live in Bartlesville.
“We knew we were missing an opportunity to grow our community and our tax base,” Wood says. “So we decided to try a new approach, and that’s how the Resident Recruitment Program was born. Instead of providing incentives for an employer to locate in Bartlesville, this program provides incentives directly to the employees of the business to encourage them to buy or build homes here."
Wood says the Concho Incentives brought in 13 new households, 11 homes purchased, two new builds with two more pending.
Now, the Bartlesville City Council has approved proposals to offer the same incentives to Phoenix Rising, a maintenance and repair overhaul facility that services Dassault Falcon Jets at the Bartlesville Airport.
The company currently has 15 employees and plans to double that this year, but they need the incentive program to do that.
Phoenix Rising founder Warren Peck says business is good and they would like to hire at least four more mechanics but they can't find talent willing to go to Bartlesville.
Over the next three years, the company hopes to create a total workforce of 45 full-time skilled employees with the help of the newly-approved incentives program for employees.
Right now the incentives look like this:
- $10,000 cash assistance for the purchase of a primary residence within Bartlesville city limits
- $20,000 cash assistance for new construction in city limits or $10,000 for those outside city limits, but within the Bartlesville school district.
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