The City of Guthrie Center is seeking to address a lack of available housing with an agreement utilizing the Cameron Flats development.

The Council approved setting their next meeting date of November 11th to hold a public hearing for a development agreement with the Utility Board not to exceed $75,000. This agreement pertains to five lots in Cameron Flats that the Board will sell for $18,000 each. The buyer then must build a house within two years, and once it is built the Utility Board will give them $15,000 and a three-year tax abatement. City Administrator Laura Wolfe says once the homeowner starts paying property taxes half of those general fund dollars will go to the City and half to the Utility Board. Mayor Mike Herbert commented on the agreement, “We’re going in a very good direction with this, you guys have (done a) nice job. We need people coming to this town and we need people to stay.”

Midwest Partnership Economic Development Director Sarah Gomez informed the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors about the agreement Tuesday. Gomez mentioned her involvement in the City’s housing committee and how they are working on additional local incentives to bring new homeowners to town.