Allen to retire in 2027

The City of Garden City has announced on their Facebook page Tuesday that at their recent City Commission meeting, the Governing Body accepted City Manager Matt Allen’s letter of intent to retire from the City of Garden City in the first quarter of 2027.

In his letter to the City Commission, Allen said, “It has been an extreme honor to be a member of the City of Garden City workforce for 25 years. I will cherish forever the relationships made with co-workers, elected officials, partner organizations, and citizens. Any individual award or positive recognition I received along the way was the product of getting to work for great City Commissioners and alongside talented staff. For those times my individual performance fell short of expectations, I benefitted and learned from the help and grace shown to me by all those same people.”

After part-time internships with Saline County and the City of Lenexa during college and graduate school, Allen began his full-time city government career with the City of Salina in 1996. In 1997, he became Assistant to the City Manager in Joplin, Missouri, and in 2000 was named City Administrator in Oakley. He returned to his hometown of Garden City in 2002 as Assistant City Manager, and in 2008, Allen was chosen to succeed Bob Halloran as City Manager, the role he has held since.

The City Commission has approved issuing a request for proposals for executive search firms to assist with a national search for the next City Manager. Additional details about the search process and timeline will be shared as they become available.

Allen’s years of dedicated public service and contributions have left a lasting mark on Garden City and are deeply appreciated.