In her State of the City Address, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird highlighted significant gains in affordable housing, workforce development, and infrastructure, outlining how Lincoln’s investments are delivering an even better quality of life for residents.
Mayor Gaylor Baird announced that workforce investments using American Rescue Plan Act funds have now served more than 1,550 residents, enabled over 1,000 individuals to earn credentials, and helped 294 people secure jobs. In February, the city launched the Future-Ready Workforce Initiative with Southeast Community College and IBEW Local 265 to train electricians, HVAC mechanics, and automotive service technicians. The first city-funded apprentices have begun training for these high-demand careers. To further support working families, Lincoln will introduce new zoning changes that make it easier to expand existing early childhood education centers or open new ones.
The Mayor highlighted voter approval of the continuation of Lincoln on the Move, which is expected to provide an additional $144 million for streets over the next eight years. She emphasized Project “O” Street, a generational investment to repair or replace aging streets, sidewalks, and water mains downtown. The city also won a $66.7 million federal grant to rebuild the 33rd and Cornhusker Highway intersection and advanced Water 2.0, an effort to secure a second source of safe, clean drinking water that will support Lincoln’s growth and resilience.
The Mayor also announced progress on affordable housing, reporting that the city has now supported 3,201 new or rehabilitated affordable units since 2019, more than 64% of the way toward her administration’s goal of 5,000 units by 2030. Recent projects include Union at Middle Creek, FiftyOne Commons, Center Terrace, and the first city-owned Permanent Supportive Housing, expected to welcome residents before the end of the year. Additionally, she said efforts to increase the supply of housing at every price point have led city development review teams to issue more residential building permits over the past five years than in any other five-year period in Lincoln’s recorded history.
Mayor Gaylor Baird said public safety remains the top priority for the city government and residents. She announced the creation of a new Public Safety Facilities Task Force to review Lincoln’s fire and police facility needs and recommend how best to meet them. The task force will evaluate current facilities, identify gaps, and make recommendations to strengthen the city’s public safety infrastructure for years to come. She reported that investments in recruiting police officers are paying off, with the Lincoln Police Department (LPD) now at 97% of authorized strength following the largest recruit class in recent history.
Watch the Mayor’s full remarks here.
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