KRS § 148.527 — KY Code / Title XII / Chapter 148 / Section 148.527
148.527 Kentucky Certified Retirement Community Program
Status: in_force

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;

(c) Climate;

(d) Personal safety;

(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;

(g) Transportation;

(h) Continuing education;

(i) Leisure living;

(j) Recreation;

(k) The performing arts;

(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; and

4. 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.