(KNZA)--A survey will be included in the next Hiawatha water bill to get the input of residents on what they think should be done with the downtown brick streets.

That word came during Monday evening’s Hiawatha City Commission meeting, with the Commission receiving an update from the 7-member citizens committee appointed to help determine the fate of the brick streets.

The survey prepared by the city will allow residents to vote on one of four options for addressing the brick streets around the courthouse square.

Committee chairman Jim Brennan said after the committee was appointed he   called surrounding towns of similar size to get their input on whether the city should keep the brick streets or not.  Brennan said the key thing they stressed was that  they would fight to keep all the brick streets because of the character it brings to the small town feel.

Brennan said he hopes the Commission will allow the committee to figure out what Hiawatha really wants and not what the Commission wants.

Mayor Steffen Shamburg says while the commission would like to do exactly what residents want, alot is going to be driven by dollars.

He says for now the brick streets portion has been removed from the street improvements to be funded by a half-cent sales tax approved by voters last November.   Shamburg said its hoped other funding sources—possibly grants—can be used to address the brick streets.

He said the commission is interested in seeing how the survey comes back, noting he’s heard from those both for and against keeping the brick streets.