Civic awareness fair offers discussion with city officials

COLUMBIA — City staff and elected officials will answer questions about city government at Keys to the City, a public event organized by the city's Volunteer Services Office.

"This is something City Council recommended we work on, and it is also an addition to the visioning project where citizens requested 'transparency and efficiency and citizen participation,'" said Volunteer Coordinator Leigh Britt. 

The event will include informational displays from 14 city offices and staff available will be available to answer questions. Four elected officials — Mayor Darwin Hindman, First Ward Councilman Paul Sturtz, Third Ward Councilman Karl Skala and Fifth Ward Councilwoman Laura Nauser — will also be available for discussion and questions.

Residents entering the event will be given a sheet to fill out as part of a "Fun Facts Scavenger Hunt."

"It's a simple way to encourage people to stop by all the tables and fill out answers on the sheets from them," Britt said.

The event will also include snacks and door prizes and the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services will have a nurse available for blood pressure screening, according to a city news release.

The fair will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Activity and Recreation Center at 1701 West Ash. The event is free and open to the public.