The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 23 to adopt the county's 2026'2028 strategic plan following public comments from residents and community organizations.

Commissioner remarks acknowledged staff and public work on the plan. "We put a lot of hours into this as did...department directors, other elected officials, and we had public comment," a commissioner said before the roll call that approved the plan.

Public commenters urged specific priorities. Tracy Axmit urged caution about reliance on collecting social-determinants-of-health data, saying it can move attention "further away from relationship building" and shared concerns about data privacy. Spike Eichold, appearing for the ACLU in Nebraska, publicly supported the plan's public-safety components that emphasize mental-health capacity at the jail, expanded problem-solving courts and the 24/7 sobriety program. Lisa Kortbutler of Justice in Action urged community-based options and expressed concern after hearing mention of jail expansion in earlier remarks.

Other speakers pressed for better meeting accessibility and assisted-listening systems; one commenter suggested installing hearing loops in meeting spaces to improve participation. Mike Sciandra of the Nebraska Council on Problem Gambling asked the Board to include prevention work for problem gambling in the plan's implementation.

The Board moved and seconded adoption of the strategic plan and recorded affirmative roll-call votes.

Why this matters: The strategic plan guides county priorities for 2026'2028, including public-safety strategy, community health goals and economic development. Public commenters sought to influence implementation details on mental-health resources, jail use and accessibility of public meetings.

What happens next: Staff and department directors will proceed under the adopted plan; commissioners and community groups signaled continued collaboration on implementation details.