Request to Speak

NOTE: Any testimony, whether oral or written, that you submit to the Council will go in a public record that can be searched by people who want to read/see it.

The Lincoln City Council generally meets every Monday at 3 p.m. except for the last Monday of the month which begins at 5:30 p.m. All City Council meetings are open to the public. If you’d like to attend a meeting in person, they are held at:

City County Building
Council Chambers located on 1st floor
555 S. 10th Street
Lincoln, NE 68508

Anyone wishing to speak on items that are scheduled for a public hearing may come forward to testify. Generally, public hearings go with the following order, although this may change depending on the requests of the Council and could include alternating the proponents and the opposition.

The applicant, directors, developer, legal counsel(s) will present & speak first, then we will start the public hearing on that item.  Council/Clerk will call testifiers in this order.

  • Proponents
  • Opposed
  • Neutral
  • Rebuttal (at the end of public testimony)

Testifying in Person

In-person testifiers must sign up at the designated area in the lobby outside the Council Chambers. The Council shall require any member of the public desiring to address the Council to identify themselves, the name of an organization or group, including an address, that you may be representing by such person or group unless the address requirement is waived to protect the security of the individual.

Testimony is limited to 5 minutes per speaker. Speakers should begin by stating their name, address, organization, or group and state if you are speaking in favor, opposition, or neutral to that item. Clerks will use the light system to help aid your timing for your testimony. The lights will appear on the monitors provided. If there are no other questions/comments, testifiers may return to your seat.

  • Green – Start time for testimony.
  • Yellow – 1 minute remaining.
  • Red – Stop time.
  • Flashing Red – Over allotted time. The Chair/Council would need to approve additional time.

Example Introduction - -   It is recommended that spell your name for the record.

“Hello/ Greetings/ Good afternoon/evening Council, my name is Joseph Quinn.  That is J-O-S-E-P-H-Q-U-I-N-N. And I am here to testify in support / opposition / neutral of item ________.”

Testimonials / Handouts - - Remember to bring 10 copies of your full testimony and/ or handouts for the Council & City Clerk staff.  You can also submit your testimony or comments to councilpacket@lincoln.ne.gov.

Summary and other information

Agendas: The agendas for each meeting are published on the City’s website  by 4 p.m. on the Thursday preceding a City Council meeting.

How to Watch:  The Lincoln City Council will air live on LNKTV, the City government access channel. LNKTV is available on Allo channel 2 and Spectrum channel 1300. The meeting will also be streamed at YouTube.com/LNKTVcity  and LNKTV.lincoln.ne.gov, In addition, LNKTV apps are available on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.

How to participate in a City Council Meeting: Citizens can participate in city council hearings in several ways, including providing public testimony, submitting written comments, and attending meetings.

While you are in the audience, addressing the Council members or testifiers is prohibited. Signage in the chambers is prohibited. Please do not be disruptive when the Council is in session. Council members may come and go during the hearing as they may have other commitments.

You can also submit your testimony or comments to councilpacket@lincoln.ne.gov or call 402-441-7515.

Special Accommodations:  We encourage civic engagement from our community and will assist those that are requesting special accommodation. Please notify us at least one week in advance.

We also provide Assistive Listening Devices for meetings in the Council Chambers.

The City of Lincoln complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 guidelines. Ensuring the public’s access to and participating in public meetings is a priority for the City of Lincoln. In the event you are in need of a reasonable accommodation in order to attend or participate in a public meeting conducted by the City of Lincoln, please contact the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights at 402-441-7624, or the City Ombudsman at 402-441-8281 as soon as possible before the scheduled meeting date in order to make your request.

 

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