Council reviews plan for 'Wall of Recognition' to honor residents; startup cost estimated at $25,000

City staff presented an information-only proposal on June 23 to establish a permanent "Wall of Recognition" that would list names of residents, businesses and organizations judged to have made significant contributions to Lincoln.

City Clerk Hope, presenting via Zoom, explained the concept, nomination process, candidate criteria and committee options. She said staff's early estimate for one-time startup costs to design and install a commemorative installation is about $25,000, after which annual costs would be minimal. Hope said the program could use a nomination period, a review committee (one option: two council members plus staff, another: majority community-members), a rating matrix and a public ceremony; she proposed a hypothetical timeline opening nominations in August and holding a ceremony Oct. 22.

Council members supported the idea while asking for detail on funding sources and guardrails to avoid politicized selections. Councilmember comments focused on limiting staff workload, choosing committee composition to avoid Brown Act meeting burdens, and ensuring fair criteria to prevent favoritism. One council member suggested QR-code links for expanded honoree bios; staff said the QR-code add-on could be inexpensive and donor-funded to limit general-fund impact.

No formal action was taken; staff will return with recommended committee composition, site options and a proposed program guide if the council wants to proceed.

Quote: "This program is designed to recognize members of the community that have made a significant contribution to the city," City Clerk Hope said, explaining categories, nomination and review steps.

Ending: Council signaled support for advancing the project to detailed design and committee formation; staff said they would bring back materials (design, location, procedure guide and budget recommendations) for council approval before moving to implementation.