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Coffee with the Mayor draws
community to Guest House
[October 21, 2025]
Residents packed into Guest
House on Saturday, October 18, at 9 a.m. for an hour-plus “Coffee
with the Mayor,” a casual Q&A where Mayor Tracy Welch fielded
questions alongside City Attorney John Hoblit and Aldermen Steve
Parrot and David Sanders.
The morning opened with a familiar theme—what’s next for downtown
businesses. Welch said the city is working to attract new shops but
reminded attendees that population and profitability drive retail
decisions.
“We’re constantly trying to attract new businesses,” he said,
pointing to recent ground-up investments like urgent care and banks
as signals of momentum. He added that the city has tightened video
gaming growth: “We have not issued a [video gaming] license in
almost four years,” he said.
Tourism dominated much of the discussion. Welch highlighted ongoing
work at the former bank building, where part of the space is being
built out as a small-business incubator in partnership with LEAD,
and the city’s push for Route 66 grants that would restore the
Mill’s iconic blades and add lighting and amenities.
Parrott, who represents the city on tourism, said the city and
county are aligned on strategy. “We put in for a $459,000 grant,” he
noted, adding that the application could unlock improvements that
keep travelers in Lincoln longer. “I think we’re going to see some
great things happen.”
Attendees asked about tour buses, international visitors, and
whether Lincoln is capturing Route 66 traffic. Welch said buses are
already stopping—often without fanfare—and that staff are working to
make downtown a true destination.
“We don’t want to create a museum and have people get off the bus,
look, and drive out of town,” he said. “We want them to buy coffee,
get a meal, and shop.”
A question on the Logan County Courthouse restoration brought Hoblit
into the conversation. He said courtroom renovations are
substantially complete, and security upgrades are underway.
“They’re totally rehabilitating that area… a little more of a system
coming in,” he said, citing plans to streamline public entry.
Finances surfaced repeatedly, particularly the 1% grocery tax that
municipalities can retain. Hoblit emphasized it is not a new levy:
“This is a tax that has existed for quite some time,” he said.
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Welch added that
losing the revenue could cut deeply into services: the city
spends roughly $1 million annually on roads, and forfeiting
grocery-tax dollars would force reductions elsewhere.
Sanders agreed, saying the city has already pared spending where
possible and that losing the funds would have consequences, “we
wouldn’t have been able to hire police officers,” including
pressure on pensions and staffing.
Public safety and infrastructure drew attention, too. Welch said
the police department is now fully staffed at about 28 officers
and the city is discussing adding an assistant deputy to the
chief to manage workload. On fire response, he reiterated the
need for a west-side substation to address train blockages that
can delay emergency vehicles.
Residents pressed for a railroad “quiet zone,” but Welch
predicted it would be a difficult sell due to safety and
liability concerns. He urged citizens to bring their ideas
forward to the city council.
Before wrapping, Welch returned to the
city’s broader direction: a new strategic plan led by Sanders and
Alderwoman Rhonda O’Donoghue is ready for council consideration,
intended to guide investments from tourism to roads and facilities.
“That gives us a clear plan and direction for how we’re moving the
city forward,” Welch said. The crowd filtered out of Guest House
still chatting—about Route 66, incubators, grants, and the work of
turning visitor stops into longer stays in Lincoln
[Sophia Larimore] |
