(KNZA)--The Brown County Commission plans to adopt a new county Neighborhood Revitalization Plan at their January 26 meeting.  

The Commission held a public hearing on the plan at their December 31 meeting, with several county residents providing input and asking questions about the plan.  

County Commission Chairman Lucas Heinen said the new 10-year plan with a declining tax rebate schedule will replace the previous 5-year plan, which expired at the end of 2025.  

The plan is seen as an incentive to spur economic development in the county. 

County Commissioner Richard Tesoriero said the Commission is trying to figure ways to slow the declining population in Brown County.  He said the goal is make the county a place where people want to invest and live.  

To be eligible for the tax rebate program, a new construction or remodeling project must result in a minimum increase of $25,000 in the appraised value of the property. The previous plan required a minimum $15,000 value increase.  
Tesoriero acknowledged the county needs to do a better job of informing residents about the program and plans to take steps to ensure that happens.  

Heinen said other taxing entities in Brown County will have an opportunity to participate in the program by adopting a resolution to enter into an inter-local agreement with the county and submitting it to the county clerk prior to their January 26 meeting.