Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird says public safety is her top priority as she unveiled the proposed City budget for fiscal years 2024-2026 on Monday. “Our commitment to public safety includes the new fire contract that raises wages for our firefighters and firefighter-paramedics by six percent,” Gaylor Baird.
It also includes an additional pension contribution for both police and fire employees. The tax-funded budget investment for year one of the biennial budget is $282,396,723
and $293,232,747 for year two.
“Our budget makes sound, strategic investments designed to grow new economic opportunities, advance our goal of making Lincoln the safest and healthiest capital city, and support strong neighborhoods and an even more dynamic downtown for residents and visitors.”
Other key investments include $215 million for infrastructure, engineering and land acquisition for the Water 2.0 project to secure Lincoln’s second source of water. It increases transportation funding by nearly $3 million in the first year to $49.9 million for improvements including street repair, rehabilitation, and new construction that support hundreds of millions of dollars in private investments and developments across the city.
Gaylor Baird says significant investments will be made in the new South Haymarket Park to support a high quality of life for downtown residents, attract outside visitors to Lincoln and serve as an economic development catalyst.
The budget also provides increased funding for parks and playground improvements across the community. $710,000 will be allocated to support quality affordable housing. It also continues the City’s successful rental rehabilitation initiative that supports high-quality affordable housing, with over 200 additional units expected to be improved over the two-year period.
The City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed two-year budget on August 5 and a vote is scheduled to adopt the budget on August 26. Click here for more specific budget details