Roe, Fesserson, Goodwin, Harding.

Hug is absent Melton.

Mr.

President.

Here.

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for opening remarks and a proclamation by Councilmember Pete Fesserson.

You can be seated.

Just uh three short things for opening remarks.

First is uh thoughts and prayers, of course, with all those in western Nebraska dealing with four major fires, the largest fires in our state's history.

Um as of half an hour ago, uh firefighters are making progress, uh, but they're still certainly not contained yet.

Uh Omaha has eight firefighters who have been dispatched uh who were trained in rugged terrain and high water capacity delivery, so our thoughts are with them and for a safe return as well.

And then I'll just note that uh today uh is the Omaha Chambers 133rd birthday since its creation, an important entity uh for our business community here in town.

I believe Mayor Ewing helped them celebrate that today.

And then lastly, of course, I want to say happy St.

Patrick's Day.

We did just make the drive-by by uh Barrett's Barley Corn.

Looks like it's in full swing.

So I just want to say uh everybody have fun and also be safe.

Thank you.

Thank you.

An affidavit of publication is on file, and a current copy of the Open Meeting Act is posted in a white binder on the East Wall Legislative Chambers.

Good afternoon, everyone, and again, happy St.

Patrick's Day, and thanks to Jerry Ryan's Dan and Jake and John for hooking me up with this great coat that I'm wearing today that I'll wear every St.

Patrick's Day.

So welcome everybody.

As a courtesy to those in attendance and to facilitate the conduct of our business, we ask that you please silence or turn off all electronic devices.

A reminder that you will have three minutes to speak on an agenda item.

Please stay on topic.

For those not participating in person testimony, providing in-person testimony, and would like your comments entered into the public record.

You can email the city clerk's office at Cityclerk at City of Omaha.org.

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Finally, council members may ask members of the audience back up for clarifying questions, but not for extra time to speak.

And those that come up to the podium as well, make sure you speak directly with those microphones in front of you today.

Thank you.

We have a proclamation by Councilmember Feterson.

You're recognized.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I'm pleased to offer a proclamation today in honor of a new effort uh in our community uh around age-friendly Omaha.

So before I read it, I want to call up the uh steering committee to come to the podium from Spark and ARP and other participating organizations.

Right to the podium, there is fine.

I'll read this, and then I know um Councilmember Rowe will have a few remarks after I'm done.

And then the floor is yours if you want to tell us a little bit more about uh your plans.

Whereas the population of the United States is rapidly aging, and by 2030, one in five Americans will be age 65 or older, making an historic demographic shift.

And whereas older adults represent a growing and vital part of Omaha's social, cultural, and economic fabric, and the city is committed to ensuring that all residents, regardless of age, can live, work, and thrive with dignity, inclusion, and opportunity.

And whereas research from the World Health Organization and ARP demonstrates that communities designed to be age-friendly, promote healthy aging, improve accessibility, and enhance the overall quality of life for people of all ages.

And whereas the AARP network of age-friendly states and communities provides a framework and a five-year cycle of continuous improvement to help cities identify community needs, develop action plans, implement inclusive policies, and evaluate progress.

And whereas the age-friendly Omaha Initiative is being led in partnership with Spark in collaboration with local leaders, academic partners, and community organizations, and supported by ARP Nebraska.

And whereas Omaha will utilize the eight domains of livability developed by the World Health Organization, including transportation, housing, social participation, and communication and information.

Now they're now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of Omaha officially recognizes and celebrates the city's designation as an age-friendly community and commits to advancing the goals of the age-friendly network through inclusive assessment, community action planning, and ongoing collaboration with residents, local partners, and regional organizations to ensure that Omaha remains a city where people of all ages can live and thrive.

Thank you for being here and thank you for this initiative.

Councilman Roe.

Thank you, Mr.

I'm looking at the uh crowd up here, the group up here, and I think I'm the only one that resembles this demographic.

And so I wanted to say uh you know, a few words of thanks to the group, to Spark, to the AARP, to the whole, you know, the whole group that's putting this together.

And I wanted to let um let people know that there is a survey online that I did take um yesterday, I think it was yesterday or the day before.

And it's it's located at uh age-friendly Omaha.org.

And it's about a 15 or 20 minute survey, and it allows uh people that are 45 plus is who it's targeted to, and it goes through a whole series of different um categories that you can give input on for this survey, that this survey will uh be used for input on the plan.

So I wanted to say thank you for that, appreciate the work you're doing, and uh good luck.

Thank you.