City commission kicks off Neighborhood Listening Tour 

The city of Concordia kicked off its 2019 Neighborhood Listening Tour with a lunch at the Concordia Senior Center on Tuesday, March 26th. Mayor Mark Matthew, city commissioner Sam Sacco, city manager Amy Lange, and over 50 local residents were in attendance.
"It's their meeting," mayor Matthew said, referring to the citizens. "We want to listen to what they have to say. We want to hear their concerns, and try to provide as many answers as we can."
After a hearty lunch of cheeseburger soup, squash, pears, and a cinnamon roll, the town's representatives took questions and listened to comments from citizens. A wide variety of topics were discussed, including the scope of the pothole and street repairs. Special emphasis was placed on the need for a recycling policy that allows pick ups for residents who are unable to travel to the recycling center, and the ongoing financial pinch of the public transportation offered to area residents and run out of the Senior Center. The public transportation is for all residents, and over two-thirds of the riders are not senior citizens.
This is the second year of the listening tour. The goal of the tours are for city planners and leaders to hear from residents regarding city services and issues in an informal, conversational-style meeting with no planned agenda.
The next stop on the tour will be March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Nazareth Motherhouse auditorium.