Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird delivered her 2024 State of the City Address Tuesday morning and focused on significant street infrastructure, affordable housing and workforce development successes, while also announcing major advancements on initiatives aimed at growing Lincoln’s vibrant economy and quality of life.
“The state of our city is indeed strong,” Gaylor Baird says. “While we are proud of our strength, we continue to build on our successes every day as we cultivate Lincoln to become the quality-of-life capital of the country.”
She reported $47 million in street infrastructure investments over the past year, resulting in the construction and resurfacing of nearly 18 lane miles of arterial streets and eight miles of residential streets. She also highlighted the success of the voter-approved Lincoln on the Move sales tax, set to expire next year, which has increased the City’s capacity to deliver street improvements.
“Since the Lincoln on the Move sales tax took effect, we have completed 50 additional street construction and improvement projects, and invested nearly $78 million additional dollars into our streets, making it easier, safer, and smoother for people to drive to work, for children to get to school, and for customers to support our local businesses,” Gaylor Baird says.
She also celebrated progress toward her goal of creating 5,000 new or rehabilitated affordable units by 2030. She announced that her administration has incentivized the creation of 2,641 units of new or rehabilitated affordable housing, putting the City ahead of schedule and over halfway toward achieving its goal.
The mayor also announced the launch of a second round of the City’s Residential Rental Rehabilitation Program, which will improve 108 units over the next year. When it comes to workforce development, Gaylor Baird noted that nearly 1,500 residents have benefited from the City’s job training initiatives designed to equip workers with skills in high-demand fields, such as manufacturing, IT, and the health sciences.
Click here for more highlights from the State of the City Address.