Residents urge accountability on TIF, development and affordable housing

During open microphone at the Jan. 12 Lincoln City Council meeting, two residents urged the council to increase oversight of development incentives and highlighted community-led programs.

Rosina Paolini spoke at length about recent redevelopment projects and TIF-funded developments. She said neighborhood meetings had raised concerns about buffers and green space and that, in her view, some projects appeared predetermined before they reached the Planning Commission. "If a development is a done deal before it ever gets to the planning commission, we got a problem," Paolini said, adding, "It broke my heart, and it broke my trust." She urged the council to reconsider why the city provides incentives to large developers and to examine whether incentives are producing equitable results.

Roy Helm also spoke during the open microphone. He raised broader national concerns but highlighted a local success: a landlord-tenant mediation pilot program launched by Justice in Action at the mediation center. Helm described the ribbon-cutting and called the pilot a positive model for resolving housing disputes.

The council did not take immediate action in response to the comments but adjourned after further public remarks. Paolini and Helm’s remarks were entered into the public record and council members did not indicate immediate policy changes at the meeting.