Lincoln Wrapped 2025
I hope you're spending the holidays with the people you love and getting to rest, recharge, and reflect on the year as it wraps.
I’m reflecting on my “Spotify Wrapped” age – which shall remain private – but let’s just say it reflects how hard I leaned into yacht rock this year. Although here in Lincoln, Nebraska we’re landlocked, the yacht rock spirit somehow fits: we are steady at the wheel, answer the call for all-hands-on-deck teamwork, and enjoy a shared sense of direction as we chart our course together.
That’s how Lincoln showed up in 2025. Here are some of our greatest hits from the past year – ones that, even on land, put wind behind our sails as we cultivate the quality-of-life capital of the country.
Keeping Lincoln Families Safe
In March, we launched Lincoln’s Co-Responder Unit (CRU), pairing Lincoln Police officers with mental health professionals from CenterPointe to respond to calls involving behavioral health crises. Our CRU has answered more than 300 calls, connecting people to care while keeping everyone safer.
This month, we welcomed the 20 newest members of the Lincoln Police Department, making LPD nearly fully staffed. We opened a new Lincoln Fire & Rescue Station 8 in January and secured a $2.3 million federal grant to hire nine additional firefighters to support our growing community.
Growing Economic Opportunity & Quality of Life
As 2025 comes to a close, we are celebrating that our workforce investments have now served over 1,550 community members, equipped more than a thousand with credentials, boosted income for over 300, and supported 273 in securing economic opportunity through new jobs. City and community partners have helped more than 90 residents earn Commercial Driver’s Licenses, expanded access to affordable childcare for working families, and prepared our workforce for high-demand, high-wage careers.
We also celebrated Lincoln’s creative economy. In July, we officially renamed the Music District as Boehmer Street, honoring longtime Zoo Bar owner Larry Boehmer. Just a block away, we opened the Music Box, giving local artists a place to build skills and careers in the music industry.
We took a major step toward a new central library. In May, the City secured the former Centrum Building at 11th and O Streets, creating a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver a 21st-century library that expands access to learning, culture, and economic opportunity for generations to come.
Building a Strong, Resilient City
This spring, voters decisively chose to continue our Lincoln on the Move initiative, enabling the City to invest in streets at record levels. Through Lincoln on the Move, our Lincoln Transportation and Utilities team delivered major street improvements along Normal Boulevard, 17th Street, and Pine Lake Road.
Even without a coast, we care about water. This summer we laid the first pipes along North 98th Street as part of our Water 2.0 initiative to secure a second source of water from the Missouri River and ensure our water supply for future generations.
As we navigate toward a stronger, more resilient future, we are proud that more than 40% of the City’s light fleet now runs on electricity or other alternative fuels, improving our air quality and saving the City money on maintenance and fuel costs.
Growing the Good Life for All
The City has now supported the creation of more than 3,200 new or rehabilitated affordable housing units, putting us well ahead of schedule toward our goal of 5,000 units by 2030. Our innovative effort to maintain affordable housing in the South of Downtown neighborhood made a splash in the pages of The New York Times!
This month, we opened the first City-owned permanent supportive housing – The Jay – which provides safe harbor and supportive services for residents who have experienced chronic homelessness.
We proudly cut the ribbon in July on Lincoln’s first fully inclusive playground at Mahoney Park. Through our new City ordinance that protects seniors from cryptocurrency scams, we made Lincoln an even more age-friendly community.
Encore
As 2025 wraps, I want to thank you again for all you do to keep Lincoln moving forward. May you set sail into the new year with health, happiness, friends, and loved ones...and while you’re at it, throw on some yacht rock!