Section 148.527 - Kentucky Certified Retirement Community Program(1) The Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet shall, after appropriate research has been conducted, establish and maintain a Kentucky Certified Retirement Community Program whereby retirees and those planning to retire are encouraged to make their homes in Kentucky communities that have met certain criteria to be certified by the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet as a Kentucky certified retirement community. In support of this program, the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism shall identify certain issues of interest to retirees or potential retirees in order to inform them of the benefits of living in Kentucky. Issues of interest to retirees may include but are not limited to:(a) Kentucky's state and local tax structure;(b) Housing opportunities and cost;(e) Working opportunities;(f) Health care services and other services along the continuum of services, including but not limited to home and community based services;(h) Continuing education;(l) Festivals and events;(m) Sports at all levels; and(n) Other services and facilities that are necessary to enable persons to age in the community and in the least restrictive environment.(2) The mission of the Kentucky Certified Retirement Community Program shall be to:(a) Promote the state as a retirement destination to retirees and those persons and families who are planning retirement both in and outside of Kentucky;(b) Assist Kentucky communities in their efforts to market themselves as retirement locations and to develop communities that retirees would find attractive for a retirement lifestyle;(c) Assist in the development of retirement communities and lifecare communities for economic development purposes and as a means of providing a potential workforce and enriching Kentucky communities; and(d) Encourage tourism to Kentucky in the form of mature market travel to Kentucky in reference to retirement desirability for the future, and for the visitation of those who have chosen to retire in Kentucky.(3) The Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet shall coordinate the development and planning of the Kentucky Certified Retirement Community Program with the Cabinet for Economic Development, the Department for Aging and Independent Living in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and other state and local groups interested in participating in and promoting the program.(4) To obtain certification as a Kentucky certified retirement community, the following requirements shall be met:(a) Official community support. A resolution by the governing authority endorsing the local retirement recruitment effort is required;(b) Designation of a sponsor. The program shall have an official sponsoring organization that shall appoint an individual who will be accountable to the community and to the state;(c) Funding. The sponsoring organization must commit a minimum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per year for the local program;(d) Health services. There shall be a hospital and emergency medical services that are readily accessible to the community;(e) Available housing. The community shall maintain information on both resale housing and rental housing to ensure that the quantity is sufficient to meet the needs of potential new retiree residents;(f) Retiree desirability assessment. The community shall conduct a retiree desirability assessment that shall focus on a number of factors including, but not limited to, medical services, adult education opportunities, shopping, recreation, cultural opportunities, safety, aging services, and a continuum of care including home and community based services, housing for the elderly, assisted living, personal care, and nursing care facilities;(g) Establishment of subcommittees. Each locality shall have a general retiree attraction committee and a minimum of four (4) subcommittees as follows: 1. Community inventory/assessment subcommittee. This subcommittee shall conduct an unbiased inventory and assessment of whether the community can offer the basics that retirees demand and develop a professional portfolio containing brief biographies of professionals in the community;2. Community relations/fundraising subcommittee. This subcommittee shall locate retirees living in the community, act as salespersons for the program, raise funds necessary to run the program, recruit subcommittee members, organize special events, and promote and coordinate the program with local entities;3. Marketing and promotion subcommittee. This subcommittee shall establish a community image, evaluate target markets, develop and distribute promotional material, and coordinate advertising and public relations campaigns; and4. Ambassadors subcommittee. This subcommittee shall be the first contact with prospective retirees and provide tour guides when prospects visit the community. The subcommittee shall respond to inquiries, log contacts made, provide tours, invite prospects to special community events, and maintain continual contact with prospects until the time that the prospect makes a retirement location decision;(h) Community profile. The sponsor shall develop a community profile similar to that used by many chambers of commerce. It will include factors such as crime statistics, tax information, recreational opportunities, and housing availability; and(i) Written marketing plan. The retiree attraction committee shall submit a marketing plan that shall detail the mission, the target market, the competition, an analysis of the community's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and the strategies the program will employ to attain its goals.(5) During the certification process, a representative of the retirement attraction committee shall attend state training meetings.(6) The retiree attraction committee shall work to gain the support of churches, clubs, businesses, and the local media, as this support is necessary for the success of the program.(7) Within ninety (90) days of certification, the locality shall submit a complete retiree attraction package to the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism.(8) Before certification is awarded, the retiree attraction committee shall submit a written three (3) year commitment to the program and a long-term plan outlining steps the community will undertake to maintain its desirability as a destination for retirees. The long-range plan shall outline plans to correct any facility and service deficiencies identified in the retiree desirability assessment required by subsection (4)(f) of this section. The written commitment and long-range plan shall be forwarded to the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.(9) Upon being certified as a Kentucky certified retirement community, the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet shall provide the following assistance to the community: (a) Assistance in the training of local staff and volunteers;(b) Ongoing oversight and guidance in marketing, plus updating on national retirement trends;(c) Inclusion in the state's national advertising and public relations campaigns and travel show promotions, including a prominent feature on the cabinet's Internet Web site;(d) Eligibility for state financial assistance for brochures, support material, and advertising; and(e) An annual evaluation and progress assessment on maintaining and improving the community's desirability as a home for retirees.(10) The Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet shall promulgate administrative regulations to implement the provisions of this section.Effective:7/15/2010
Amended 2010, Ky. Acts ch. 65, sec. 4, effective7/15/2010. -- Amended 2009, Ky. Acts ch. 16, sec. 19, effective 6/25/2009. -- Amended 2007, Ky. Acts ch. 24, sec. 3, effective 6/26/2007. -- Amended 2005, Ky. Acts ch. 95, sec. 18, effective 6/20/2005; and ch. 99, sec. 120, effective 6/20/2005. -- Created 2001, Ky. Acts ch. 78, sec. 1, effective 6/21/2001.