Matt Rehder likely doesn’t need a crystal ball when it comes to 2026.
That’s because when Rehder began as Iola city administrator in 2021, the position came with a to-do list.
Develop more housing. Rebuild U.S. 54. Replace aging infrastructure. Bring in more business.
Rehder laughs. Kind of.
After all, that’s a pretty tall order. But in his almost five years in the position, he’s earned some notches in his belt.
In a recent podcast with the Register’s Tim Stauffer, Rehder listed his job responsibilities, which sounded like the proverbial jack of all trades, though it would be unfair to say he’s a master of none.
To wit, his department’s primary responsibilities are to see that the city provides public safety — police, EMS and fire; public utilities, including water, gas and electricity; as well as a host of quality-of-life services such as the library and recreation department.
Rehder also works to grow Iola’s tax base by working in tandem with Iola Industries and Thrive Allen County’s economic development arm to bring new business to town.
And because Rehder knows he can’t possibly be an expert of all the above, he relies on that of others, notably Corey Schinstock, Iola’s longtime assistant city administrator, and the various department heads.
Looking back
Upon his arrival in March of 2021, Rehder, 47, almost talked himself out of a job.
The issue was the need for more housing, specifically in the Cedarbrook Third Addition north of Miller Road where Iola Council members had approved extending utilities but were hesitant to foot the bill for a new road.
“I said if we built the road, I’d resign,” he said.
“They say, ‘build it and they will come,’ but that phrase is from a movie, and this is real life,” Rehder said of his cautious nature.
“But it became clear, developers weren’t going to come here if we didn’t put in the streets. So, OK. We paid $1.2 million for the street, and now we have four new homes there and more to come.”
Rehder said City Council members “adopted a nothing ventured, nothing gained kind of attitude, feeling the city needed to be the entity to push that boulder up the hill, and it’s worked well. We now have housing starts out there and rehabs going on in town.”
