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Wide variety of topics discussed
at March Coffee with the Mayor
[March 16, 2026]
Including Mayor Tracy Welch,
Ward Three Alderman Kevin Bateman, and Police Chief Joe Meister, 20
people gathered on Saturday morning for Coffee with the Mayor at
Guest House Coffee and Pastries in Lincoln. All guests were
encouraged to enjoy their choice of beverage courtesy of the mayor
and ask questions or discuss topics of personal interest regarding
situations or conditions within the city of Lincoln.
The discussion began immediately with one guest seeking advice and
help regarding a mentally troubled person living in her
neighborhood. She described in careful detail the situation from the
person acting out in the community yelling and drinking, throwing
trash on the lawn and urinating and defecating outside, sometimes in
plain sight of the neighbors. She added that the interior of the
home is a mess as well. She said the person does live alone but has
family close by that is aware of all that is going on but doesn’t
seem to be doing anything to help.
The guest spoke for several minutes, giving vivid examples of just
how disturbed and disturbing the person is, and how it is impacting
the neighbors. She even noted that she personally had gone over and
cleaned up beer cans and other trash from the lawn of the offending
resident.
Bateman was the first to respond to the comments, saying he
understood that the guest wanted to clean up the messes, but that
she should not be doing so. He said the best thing to do would be to
call the police and have them come and document the situation so the
city can act. He also noted that he and the police department are
familiar with the person of whom she spoke.
Meister added to the comments saying, “we can’t cure mental illness,
but there are actions we can take.” He went on to talk about a
recently implemented program at the LPD called Deflection. He said
that the Deflection program is designed to help address issues of
mental illness, substance abuse and more, in a way that can forego
arrests and ordinance violations for a more humane and long-term
solution for victims.
Welch agreed. He said that within
the city there are a good number of residents who would be
classified as hoarders with interior messes that some cannot
imagine. He said that there had been instances where city staff were
sent into homes like this and the conditions would be deplorable,
even to the point of sickening. He noted there was at least one case
where the situation made the city staff members physically ill and
added that such a situation is something no city staff member should
have to deal with, but it does happen.
Meister said that calling the police is a good place to start with
situations such as described. He said it opens a door of opportunity
for the police to get a referral into the Deflection program and
perhaps start the victim on a road to recovery.
A second guest asked about the 72-hour hold law. Meister said it is
a very good tool, but unfortunately it doesn’t always work well in
Lincoln. He said that when the PD deems a person to be a “danger to
self” the officers are to take that person to the nearest facility
for mental evaluation. In the case of Lincoln, that would be the
emergency room at Lincoln Memorial Hospital. From there, the person
must be examined by a qualified medical professional that can
certify the person is a danger to self and needs to be placed under
the 72-hour hold.
Therein the problem arises. Meister said those types of medical
professionals are not readily available when the issues are most
likely to arise – nights and weekends. So, a person may be taken to
the ER under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but in the time it
takes for the doctor to arrive to do an evaluation, the person has
sobered up and is no longer “symptomatic.” Therefore, the doctor
cannot sign off on the 72-hour hold.
Another guest asked about a hotline for troubled individuals.
Meister said there is the “Mobile Crisis Response” that can be
helpful, but again, availability is an issue. He said that MCR is
not available 24/7, but only on weekdays during regular business
hours.
The guest who initiated the topic said that she was ready to just
give up on ever seeing the situation get any better. Meister
encouraged her not to give up but to call the police while
disturbances are occurring.
Update on local tourism programs
Moving on to a new topic, Vic Martinek asked for an update on local
tourism.
[Background – When travelers check in to local motels for overnight
stays a “hotel/motel” tax is added to their tab. Several years ago,
the city of Lincoln decided to collect that tax directly from the
motels within the city limits. The original decision was made for
the city to pass 85 to 90 percent of that collection directly to the
Logan County Tourism Bureau. The small percentage kept by the city
went to fund local events such as Third Fridays Downtown.
In 2025, the Lincoln City Council voted to retain all the money from
the hotel/motel tax, and agreed to pay the LCTB $30,000 per year,
providing the Logan County Board matched those funds. With the
beefed-up revenue stream, the city formed the City of Lincoln
Department of Tourism. Their first two actions with the new
department were to purchase the old State Bank of Lincoln building
on Broadway Street and hire Scott McCoy as the new Director of
Tourism.]
Welch addressed the question in a broad sense to start. He said that
the Logan County Tourism Bureau was tasked with promoting tourism
throughout the county and that Director Wanda Lee Rohlfs was working
to that end. The City of Lincoln Department of Tourism was tasked
with promoting tourism on the whole within the city, with specific
emphasis on Route 66 Tourism.
He said that the two tourism entities are working well independently
and jointly. He noted that the LCTB had applied for a Route 66 grant
and received approximately $460,000. The city of Lincoln had worked
with the LCTB for the grant, and the city portion was $411,000.
The LCTB is working to do some much needed repairs and enhancements
at the Mill on Route 66 Museum. Among those is the reconstruction of
the mill blades and restoration of that building feature with
lighting as well as the mechanics to make the blades turn like they
did “back in the day.”
The city is devoting the lion’s share of its grant funding to the
new Route 66 museum that is being established in the old bank
building. Welch said that in addition to the museum there was a new
mural in the works, watermelon benches, a large penny and more Route
55 signage in the works.
He said the opening day goal for
the new museum is May 1. Welch also threw out some teasers on what
may be inside the museum. The Route 66 model train is already known,
but he said in addition there would be an exhibit pertaining to Al
Capone, and a special feature that includes an interactive phone
booth display built to replicate the view from atop the Lincoln City
Hall.
Welch said that there have been multiple occasions when someone has
asked for permission to go to the roof and visit the phone booth. He
said that is a very dangerous situation and the city is not prone to
allowing people to go up there. The new display simulates the same
experience in a much safer environment.
[to top of second column] |
Tracy and Bateman
tag-teamed to explain to guests at the coffee meeting that the
city is not using local taxpayer dollars to fund the museum. All
the money spent comes from the recently acquired grant as well
as the hotel/motel tax.
Updates on
structural and façade grants
Welch moved on, speaking about the city’s work to improve the
downtown business area by giving out grants for structural
improvements as well as grants for exterior storefront improvements,
call façade grants. He said since implementing the grants, the city
has awarded around $350,000 to $400,00 in said grants and they are
making a difference in how our city presents itself to visitors.
He added that at long last the city’s TIF district revenues are
paying off. He explained that the TIF district had financed the
construction of the new theater in town several years ago. To
accomplish this, bonds had been issued and bond payments were made
out of city funds. The ultimate goal of the TIF was for the city to
collect the difference between the property tax before the
construction and the property tax after construction, to fund the
bond. It had not worked out that way until this year. The city had
implemented the structural and façade grants from city coffers, but
those also added to the revenues the city was eligible to collect
under the terms of the TIF. This year, the TIF generated enough
revenue to pay the bond payment and contribute to the city grant
program.
Law enforcement recruiting and retention grant
Meister spoke about grant funding the Lincoln Police Department had
received for recruitment and retention of officers. He said the city
had received $150,000. The city is using that money to pay out to
officers $5,000 each one time, in exchange for a signed contract for
a guaranteed three years of service to the city.
Code Enforcement
A guest asked about code enforcement in the city and what was taking
place in that arena. Meister said that there are now two branches of
code enforcement, the first being City Code and Safety Officer Wes
Woodhall, and the second being the recently hired code enforcement
officer with the Lincoln Police Department.
He said the two work together and independently with Woodhall’s
primary responsibility being structural codes, while the new code
officer helps to address, among other issues, cosmetic issues. Those
include vehicles that are parked long term on city streets, trash
and overgrown lawns and other residential eyesores, as well as
several other tasks.
Meister said it was working out well, because the code enforcement
officer takes the burden off patrol offers who are needed for
criminal issues. He added that the new approach supports education
rather than ticketing. The code enforcement officer approach is to
visit violators, make them aware of their violations and educate
them on steps to rectify undesirable situations. Meister said the
response to that approach is good, and there are many violators who
have corrected problems and moved on without any other actions
needed. He said of course there are some who do not heed the
warnings, and there is a process in place where those eventually go
into a code violation and legal action.
There was talk about how to report issues in the city and Meister
recommended that residents take advantage of the
“Golinc” app that can
be loaded to cellphones. He said snap a picture of the violation and
submit it through the app. The city will then respond.
Meister did caution though not to use the app as a replacement for
calling 911. He said he personally is the one who monitors the app
for LPD requests. He explained that if someone puts a barking dog
disturbing the peace at midnight on the Golinc, he’s not going to
see it until morning, and by then, the dog has stopped barking, and
no good has been done for the complainant.
Speeding on city streets
A guest said he wanted to thank the city for paying attention and
acting on concerns he had expressed about speeding and reckless
driving on some city streets. He said the situation has greatly
improved.
Meister said that it was difficult to monitor everything, and he
appreciated tips that allowed him to assign increased patrols in
problem areas. He explained that he has 20 patrolmen divided among
four shifts daily for only five officers per shift for the entire
city. Tips from residents are very helpful.
Welch said that speeding is a big issue on many of Lincoln’s city
streets. He said he would like to see speed bumps on those streets,
but that those deterrents open up a whole new list of issues.
In other news
After going long in the meeting by at least 30 minutes, Welch said
that he needed to wrap it up so that the next party that had the
space reserved could come it. He said he’d conclude with some
updates.
The city is moving forward with the Fifth Street Road project and
could see some activity later this year. Also, the reconstruction of
Tremont Street between Logan and Union will begin in 2026 and wrap
up in 2027. Welch said to stay alert for traffic changes and
closures during the construction.
City road repairs are funded either from city revenues or from
revenues gained through the Motor Fuel Tax. The money spent from the
MFT funds must be used according to state guidelines, and only
certain work within the city can qualify. Bateman reminded everyone
that the Tremont Street project does not qualify for MFT. Therefore,
the money needed for the project will come straight from the city
and will span across two budget years. He said because of this,
there will be no additional road repairs done next year, apart from
those that qualify for MFT.
With time running out the last item was an update on the city’s no
solicitation list. Welch said that the program for being added to
the no solicitation list had gone live on the city website but was
soon found to have some glitches. The program was taken down
temporarily, but the city anticipates it will return soon. In the
meantime, Welch said that if people want to be added to the list
now, they can visit city hall.
The Coffee with the Mayor event is held every two months, with
expectation that the next coffee will be held in May.
[Nila Smith]
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