Adams County Commissioners passed two initiatives at Tuesday’s meeting aimed at supporting working families by expanding affordable childcare access and investing in neighborhoods that need it.

Commissioners unanimously approved a Child Care Provider Property Tax Rebate Incentive Program, making it the first county to launch such a program.

The rebate incentive program is designed to address a shortage of affordable and available childcare in the county by offering property tax rebates to lower the cost to providers, according to county officials.

Adams County parents spend an average of 22% of their household wages on childcare, according to the Common Sense Institute’s 2025 Child Care Opportunity Index. The county has 12,633 licensed slots for about 39,650 children under the age of six, according to county documents.

Businesses that qualify for the rebate program include licensed childcare providers that care for at least three children not related to the owner or operator. Businesses must also operate on a year-round basis and cannot have outstanding land use violations, county documents said.

Eligible providers can get at least 50% back on the county portion of their property taxes, a county news release said. Providers offering care for children and toddlers may qualify for up to 100%.

Currently, Adams County has 344 licensed childcare facilities. Of those, 176 would be eligible for the program. If all of them applied for and got the rebate, it would add up to about $700,000 and the county would only get about $45,000 in property tax funds from those facilities. However, officials said, they do not expect all 176 facilities to apply.

Commissioner Kathy Henson said in Tuesday’s meeting that she is excited for the program’s potential to help families.

“How we take care of our families and our kids and support people in Adams County says everything about who we are,” Henson said. “It’s not going to solve all of the issues you’re facing in the childcare industry, but it’s a step.”

Applications for the first year of the program will open July 1 and remain open through Sept. 15. The program will operate as a one-year pilot through June 30, 2027, and officials will evaluate its success to determine whether or not to continue it.

Also Tuesday, commissioners approved the creation of the Adams County Revitalization Authority, which would seek financial tools to invest in unincorporated parts of the county where there are infrastructure gaps and underutilization that limit economic potential, officials said.

The authority, created under state law, allows the county to support projects through tools such as partnerships with private developers to invest in areas that have not seen as much private investment, according to a county news release.

No specific projects have been approved yet, and next steps will include identifying priority areas and engaging the public to gauge their needs.