Lebanon City Manager

Is Anyone Listening?

2012-02-23T12:02:00.002-08:00

Listening is pivotal in relationship development within a community. There are many aspects of listening that are creative in the construction of healthy interrelationships within a diverse community. The key is how well the community listens to its members. Conversation is the basis for a community to interpret its collective will and to determine what terms and conditions its members are willing to live with. Listening is the basis for conversations that instruct the community in selecting priority outcomes to be pursued for the common good. Community-wide respecting and valuing of others are inherent when the quality of listening is high in community conversations. There are outstanding opportunities for listening to Lebanon residents in 2012 whether it is the proposal for a Comcast franchise (Written comments due to the City Manager’s Office by March 16, 2012) or for an Airport Summit conversation about airport possibilities on March 20, 2012. So, the proposition before Lebanon residents is to listen to each other with unconditional positive regard, appreciation, and respect without judgment or evaluation and explore together what community choices need to be made for Lebanon to be a sustainable 21st Century community.

Franchise – Opportunity for Citizen Engagement in Franchise Conversation

2012-01-23T13:39:00.001-08:00

The City of Lebanon is currently in the process of negotiating a cable TV franchise agreement with Comcast Cable Services. The franchise negotiation process is an opportunity for the City to ascertain the future cable-related needs and interests of the community and to negotiate with Comcast to meet those needs. To initiate the process, the City Council will be conducting a public hearing and is requesting input from all Lebanon residents, businesses, community service groups, institutional leaders, churches, civic associations, and municipal and school officials, etc. as it will be beneficial to all to have a broad spectrum of public input. So, it is a wonderful opportunity for Lebanon residents to engage their City in conversation about the cable TV coming into your homes, businesses, institutions, and lives!

The public hearing will be held Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at 7:00 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall. If you have other ideas, concerns, questions, or comments about cable TV in Lebanon, please feel free to submit whatever you have to offer – all your thoughts are important to the City. The more input the City has, the better the City will be equipped to negotiate a high quality franchise. Please pass the word about the upcoming public hearing.

If you cannot attend the hearing, the record will remain open until Friday, March 16, 2012, and written comments can be submitted until that date. Written comments, submitted prior to the hearing, or up until March 16th, should be forwarded to Paula Maville via email to paula.maville@lebcity.com, or by standard mail to City of Lebanon, attn: Paula Maville, 51 North Park Street, Lebanon, NH, 03766. The record for the hearing will remain open until Friday, March 16, 2012, and the City welcomes any additional thoughts or ideas, in writing, until that time. So, please consider becoming engaged in this important conversation.

Golden Rule Follower

2011-12-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

In the conversations to move Lebanon to its preferred future as a sustainable community, being principle centered in the dialogues among the residents of Lebanon will be extremely important. Engagement in community needs to be a high civic calling, going beyond self or self interest and supporting outcomes being produced for others in Lebanon that you would expect to be produced for yourself if you were in the shoes of those others. Ever hear some similar concept before, perhaps the Golden Rule? Maybe the Golden Rule can be the practical way to measure how consistently we in Lebanon treat people right in tough fiscal times when we have scarce fiscal resources and need to target what we have toward affordable high valued core outcomes. What better to follow than the Golden Rule which advises us that we should treat people the way we would want to be treated? This ancient moral and ethical principle can provide the light for thoughtful conversations about having a future preferred and shared by all City residents to achieve a sustainable community and deciding what outcomes are best to be affordably funded and effectively and efficiently produced by the best means possible to get us there

Beginning Community Conversation

2011-12-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

In our nation, most communities are fragmented and at odds within themselves says Peter Block in his important work Community - The Structure of Belonging. His overall premise is that we should build the social fabric and transform the isolation within our communities into connectedness and caring for the whole, shift our conversations from the problems of community to the possibility of community, and commit to create a future distinct from the past. Lebanon has begun a community conversation and is reintroducing its Master Plan - Lebanon 2030. For much of the past year, City administration has been working with a consultant to improve the format of the Plan and create a clear, consolidated, easily read, and engaging layout. A preview of the revised format reveals a standardized chapter layout; a front and center vision and purpose statement at its beginning; key points highlighted which were derived from the text and located in a sidebar on each page along with supporting maps, charts, and other graphics; and summarized outcomes to be produced along with associated strategies and actions. The Plan is now queued up for review and processing by the Planning Board on January 5, 2012. It is critical for City residents to engage wirh each other in conversation and with their City government to select a shared preferred future to achieve a sustainable community best for all concerned. For slides depicting the master plan preview, see http://www.lebnh.net/news/lebanon2030masterplanpreview on the City website.

Outcomes Are The Real Deal!

2011-11-16T11:54:00.000-08:00

Outcomes are the real deal and not smoke or mirrors! It is in your interest as a City resident that Lebanon and its budget-making should not be about functions, processes, accounts, position counts, us versus them, or choosing winners or losers. You should expect your City to produce outcomes you, as a City resident, are willing for the City to produce at a price affordable to you. “In government, as in most realms of life, we find it safer and easier to do what we've always done, simply because we've always done it. Only on rare occasions - usually at times of crisis - do we step back to gain a broader perspective, erase all our preconceived ideas and routine behaviors, and take a fresh look at how to make the most of our limited time and resources. Budgeting for Outcomes allows public leaders to do some of this big-picture, creative thinking each time they prepare a budget. In fact, the process demands it.” - David Osborne & Peter Hutchinson, The Public Strategies Group, The Price Of Government: Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis. Lebanon’s proposed 2012 City Budget offers to produce outcomes focused on Lebanon being a sustainable community committed to excellent planning, economic vitality, self-sufficient individuals and families, public safety, and fiscal responsibility, restraint, and prudent long-term stewardship of resources at a below rate of inflation price of a 1.1% increase in the 2012 Municipal Tax Rate over the 2011 Municipal Tax Rate. Are these outcomes that you, as a resident, are willing for Lebanon to produce? Is the price of these outcomes affordable for you? Please don’t just take the word of others about what this is all about. Please take the time to engage your City in conversation about your City, the proposed outcomes, and their affordability. To read more see: http://www.psg.us/reinvention/pogbforeinvent.html

2012 Budget - Outcomes To Build A Sustainable Community

2011-11-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

In the City Manager's proposed 2012 Budget, the City of Lebanon is considering allocating its overall spending to six core outcome areas to produce the highest priority results to serve Lebanon residents. All outcome areas revolve around the central desire to achieve a Sustainable Community and include: Excellent Planning; Economic Vitality; Self-Sufficient Individuals and Families; Fiscal Responsibility, Restraint, and Prudent Long-Term Stewardship of Resources; and Public Safety. This is an attempt to leap forward to the future - be good prudent stewards of limited and scarce resources, produce only outcomes that the residents themselves determine they need, and insure the outcomes produced are affordable. Now is the time for everyone to get on the bus and head down the path to Lebanon being a sustainable community and regional leader with the City listening to residents and citizens engaging with their City for a better preferred future for all.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY: Sense of Place,Environmental Responsibility, Energy Efficiency,Healthy & Well,and Cultural & Learning Center

EXCELLENT PLANNING
ECONOMIC VITALITY
SELF-SUFFICIENT INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY,RESTRAINT,PRUDENT LONG-TERM STEWARDSHIP OF RESOURCES
PUBLIC SAFETY

A Cool Community!

2011-10-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

As an early Boomer, I urge let’s be cool, do some finger-snapping, slang-talking, and obsessive combing a la Kookie of my old favorite1958 television series 77 Sunset Strip and examine what it would take for Lebanon to be a cool community. Energetic entrepreneur Rebecca Ryan, the founder of Next Generation Consulting, advises that a “Cool Community Handprint” would demand a community be committed to healthiness of its environment and citizens; diversity of its local economy; varied career options; commitment to start-ups; enrichment, not just education; diversity of its culture, ethnicity and opinions; affordable lifestyles; an active, varied array of places to “go and do”; and accessibility, connectivity, and walkability/bikeability. Can we do this? Sure we can, just be cool!

A Disconnect!

2011-10-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Every day people assess their government’s performance. They care about government, understand that the work is difficult and complex, and recognize improvements. They want and need information from government and about government. But, they assess government differently from the way government assesses itself. The public is interested in outcomes and the quality of work performed not government reports workloads, costs, FTEs, etc. The public is not into performance reports by agencies touting their particular silos and does not care about which agency or level of government is responsible for what. The public wants results. People feel powerless when that doesn’t happen. This disconnect between government-created performance measures and the way the public views government performance needs corrected. The City will be working on this corrective action as the City’s 2012 Budget and Master Plan unfold in next months ahead.

Community Development – A Maze

2011-09-29T18:38:00.001-07:00

The pursuit of community development is a complex and complicated process and sometimes not easy to explain. It has been called a maze. In gaming terminology, a maze equates to complex branching passages through which the game solver must find a route along fixed or pre-determined pathways with walls. My fondest personal recollection as to mazes is some wonderful fall days in Minnesota spent accompanying my children for a price through local farmers’ entrepreneurial corn mazes exploring every nook and cranny while trying to feel our way through the cornstalks. In the cold prickly light of the community scene today, accosted by fiscal crisis and recession, requiring communities to reduce both expenditures and services, contain property taxes, and manage public debt, the characterization of a maze with regard to community development has come to me in very different light. What is this “maze” business? Well whether development is smart, dumb, or indifferent, community development is a matter of cost, benefit, and risk to the property taxpayers of the city in which they reside. There is no free lunch (including no free hotdogs, hamburgers, or corn on the cob) with community development – someone pays the bill. The highest valued development would entail no cost to all property tax payers, benefit all property tax payers, and be risk free. Conversely, the lowest valued development would entail total costs paid by property tax payers, benefit only special interests and not all property tax payers, and be of high risk to property tax payers. So, the lengthy, technical, detailed, time intensive scrutiny, prudent due diligence, critical analysis, and discussion and debate populating the walls of the maze through which community development is required by law to be processed are to protect all property tax payers of the city in which the development is proposed. So, in the arena of community development, if you are maze aversive, wish to take short cuts, jump walls, tunnel under pathways, and assert you are too smart and a cut above those who follow the property tax payer protecting maze, take heed that, at the end of the maze, you may find a whopping property tax bill in your mailbox.

WIN/WIN!

2011-09-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to those who are sharing with others in this time of natural and man-made crises and challenges. Balance is being shown in how the sharing is occurring. Cities and towns know that, in the first 72 hours and often into two weeks, the local communities bear the burden when extraordinary crises and challenges arise. Now it is important for the State and Federal relief resources to be brought to bear since the magnitude of the crises and challenges exceed the capacity of the local communities to respond to insure recovery. Sharing from all levels need to take place with compassion and an abundance mentality. In times such as these, one of the most influential Americans in the United States, Stephen R. Covey offers wisdom built on the principle of WIN/WIN. Dr. Covey has dedicated his life to demonstrating how every person can truly control their destiny with profound, yet straightforward guidance. See https://www.stephencovey.com/ . For additional materials, see http://www.franklincovey.com/tc/. He would say we need to share, look to the advantage of all, not deplete long term assets in favor of short term gain, and recognize all who step up to the plate to serve. Sharing from the Federal level will shortly begin in Lebanon as FEMA opens a three day Public Assistance Office during September 26-28 at the Lebanon Airport Terminal. For information, see http://www.lebnh.net/ generally and https://docs.google.com/document/d/16CmaPS93_X5TS1YgpDuF9bjjv1BwdcIlMY-QSjiQwLs/edit?hl=en_US# specifically. Remember think WIN/WIN!

What A Week!

2011-09-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

I would never in my wildest mid-western imagination think that I would find myself in a tropical storm in New Hampshire! But, here we all are. We have to help ourselves and we have to help our hard hit Vermont neighbors. The City of Lebanon is proud of our City team members from fire, police, and public works who stepped up to the plate together to do battle with Tropical Storm Irene http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Irene_(2011) Many worked straight through the event and into now the recovery stage. I am very proud of these City employees for their efforts to date! (Even though I know it is not over until we complete recovery which can be challenging!) They were fast, focused, friendly, and flexible in sometimes very stressful conditions! So, kudos to Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Libbey and his firefighters, Chief Jim Alexander and his police officers, and Public Works Director Mike Lavalla and his public works workers!

Honor and Empower Wounded Warriors

2011-08-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

A human being can have many missions during a lifetime. My current working draft City Manager mission is to unify the City around producing outcomes to best serve the health, safety, and welfare of Lebanon residents. But I have a concurrent mission to honor and empower wounded warriors. I participate in the Wounded Warrior Project. The Wounded Warrior Project The Project's vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in this nation's history. Its purposes are to raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured service members aid and assist each other and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members. As a Vietnam War combat infantryman veteran, I know the greatest casualty of war can be being forgotten.

What The World Needs Now - Leadership!

2011-08-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

Playing on Jackie DeShannon's What the World Needs Now Is Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMS2uMUQNnQ), what the world needs now is leadership! The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program in its Criteria for Performance Excellence espouses that leaders must guide and sustain their organizations. They must set their organizations' visions and values. They must promote legal and ethical behavior. They must create an environment for organizational performance improvement. They must create a workforce culture that delivers a consistently positive customer experience and fosters customer engagement. They must create an environment for organizational and workforce learning. They must encourage frank two-way communication throughout their organizations. They must focus on action and production of outcomes or results. Baldrige Performance Excellence Program - Criteria for Performance Excellence

Outstanding Audit!

2011-08-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Once again the City of Lebanon has received an outstanding audit. The audit was performed by Plodzik & Sanderson. It can be found at 2010 Audit Report An audit is a look backward at the City's previous year to ascertain the City's accountability and management for public dollars placed under its stewardship. The 2010 Audit Report stated among other items an unqualified opinion of the financial statements, that there were no material weaknesses identified relating to the internal control over financial reporting, that there were no other significant deficiencies, that there were no instances of noncompliance material to the financial statements identified, and that the City of Lebanon was considered to be a low-risk auditee in relation to federal funding awards, an important aspect when considering federal funding for City activities. Congratulations to Finance Director Len Jarvi, Deputy Finance Director Vicki Lee, the Finance Department team, and all the other City Department finance workers for a job well done!

Agree, Disagree!

2011-08-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Are you in strong agreement or strong disagreement with regard to the following statements in relation to the organization with which you are most closely associated? I know my organization’s mission (what it is trying to accomplish). I know who my organization’s most important customers are. I have a safe organizational workplace. I am committed to my organization’s success. My organization obeys laws and regulations. If you are in strong agreement, your organization has captured the essence of successful performance. If not, your organization has a challenge to improve performance.

Caregivers?

2011-08-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

Caregiver Connections is presenting its wonderful program to the community and asking the rhetorical question of “Who are caregivers?” The truth is we meet the caregivers every day and they are us. Caregivers are the family members and loved ones who provide care for those who are living with the effects of war, disability, chronic illness, health challenges, or aging. My specific generation as “1946ers”, the earliest of boomers, are often in denial but the reality is we are giving care and receiving care. So our Lebanon community needs to intensify our focus on care giving to the betterment of all. For Caregiver Connections, information is available at 1.866.634.9412. To check out the ServiceLink Resource Center to access more about independent living, click
http://www.nh.gov/servicelink/index.html

Health and Well-Being Models - Pay Attention!

2011-08-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

New models are needed for communities to chart their way through these difficult, challenging, and complex times. A great place to explore to find such models is in the world of health and well being. The Mayo Clinic in my past prior home state of Minnesota seeks to inspire hope and contribute to health and well-being by providing the best care to every patient through integrated clinical practice, education and research. http://www.mayoclinic.org/ The needs of the patient come first. Treat everyone in diverse communities with dignity. Provide service with sensitivity and empathy. Adhere to the highest standards of professionalism, ethics and personal responsibility. Inspire hope and nurture the well-being of the whole person, respecting physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Value the contributions of all, blending the skills of individual staff members in unsurpassed collaboration. Deliver the best outcomes and highest quality service through the dedicated effort of every team member. The Cleveland Clinic, which served my immediate past home in Western New York, seeks to sustain and reinvest in its mission of quality care and extended communities by wisely managing its human, natural and material resources.http://my.clevelandclinic.org/default.aspx The Cleveland Clinic is a strong advocate of informing people about specific data related to their own care believing that informed patients are able to participate better in their own care. The Cleveland Clinic produces outcomes books offering detailed information and data to help patients and their physicians make informed decisions about treatment for a wide-range of medical diseases and conditions. In my new home of Lebanon in the Upper Valley, Dartmouth-Hitchcock leads an integrated health system to advance health through research, education, clinical practice and community partnerships, providing each person the best care, in the right place, at the right time, every time. http://www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/ Dartmouth-Hitchcock seeks to achieve the healthiest population possible, leading the transformation of health care in our region and setting the standard for our nation. What a vision! Attention needs to be paid to these models in designing all community needed services and systems.

A New Normal!

2011-08-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

The City of Lebanon finds itself at a unique time in history. The waves of new public financial conditions are pounding away at its shoreline. It is a time for public engagement on broad fundamental issues. The City will be looking at negotiating “new social compacts” to begin a multi-year reconstruction of its finances. The City is in the midst of a broad and fundamental transformation of the economic and social order. It is a time to step up to the plate and not to hide under the bed. The City needs to work with its residents and try to understand what this transformation means and then adapt and lead. Old habits need to be placed aside and everything needs to be on the table. Core services need to be defined, infrastructure and services priced, service delivery partnerships built, and collaboration among the public, private, and nonprofit sectors nurtured. The City and its residents need to rethink the work of the City and find a new norm under which all involved can agree to live.

I Love Moose!

2011-08-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

I love moose and have since the days of raising my family in Northern Minnesota moose country. I have come to the right State to make a home since the State of New Hampshire’s moose herd is approximately 6,000 strong. I immediately made my first car tags moose tags. But, common sense needs to be follow with regard to these wonderful animals. If you see a moose, slow down, or stop if necessary, until you have passed it or it has left the road. Remember: Brake for Moose (as those bumper stickers say!)! The Brake for Moose program can be found at http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/brake_for_moose.htm and you can listen to some keen advice at http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/OA_brake_for_moose.mp3. For more information, see http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Wildlife_profiles/profile_moose.htm. In the meanwhile, I will continue my love affair with my favorite mammal!

Times they are a changing!

2011-08-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

People in the City of Lebanon now have global responsibilities. As consumers, people must be aware and alert to protect themselves. Globalization is here to stay and change is accelerating. People are aging and have needs to adapt to continue the active lives they are accustomed to living. Exercising leadership to steer the City in this uncertain environment will be exceedingly complex! The complexity of it all will require the people of the City of Lebanon to become more focused, be more agile and flexible, and be friendly practitioners of ethics and social responsibility. To address the oncoming rushing pressures of complex economic, environmental, and social systems, the people will need to support innovation, transformed work systems, and improved organizational core competencies. Times they are a changing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWdCKPtnYE

Effective Leadership In Community - A Definition

2011-07-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

What is a definition of effective leadership in a community? Effective leadership respects the capabilities and requirements of community members and stakeholders. Effective leadership builds loyalties and teamwork based on the community's vision and values and the pursuit of shared goals. Effective leadership encourages and supports initiatives and appropriate risk taking, subordinates structure to purpose and function, and avoids chains of command that require long decision paths. Effective leadership requires mechanisms for leaders to conduct self-examination, receive feedback, and improve. All these effective leadership paradigms are being pursued as best practices in the world of performance excellence, the source of these above comments being: http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/about/index.cfm Effective leadership is a must for a community to stretch and fulfill its highest and best potential for the betterment of all.

Thursday Happenings In Downtown Lebanon!

2011-07-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

Lebanon is blessed this summer with many Thursday happenings in its downtown. These happenings are free! You can bring yourself and your children to enjoy songs, storytelling and puppetry. You can attend the Farmers Market, enjoy acoustic, blues, country, jazz and old fashioned folk music, and make the best buy for your family from local fresh produce, plants, prepared foods, baked goods and hand made crafts. In the evening, you can have a great night of music by up and coming artists. So, if it is Thursday, downtown Lebanon is the place for you and your family!

See http://www.lebnh.net/news/thursdaysintheparkcomedyfarmersmarketconcert and www.lebanonfarmersmarket.org.

It's Hot, Be Alert!

2011-07-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

It's hot! Let's be cool and take care of ourselves, our loved ones, our fellow Lebanon residents, and our four legged friends! Remember do not leave children or pets in your cars for goodness sake! See Heat Emergency!!!!

Privacy v Right to Know

2011-07-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Must all underlying facts in workplace and familial relationships be publicly disclosed to satisfy a greater good of the right to know everything by everybody all the time and every time? Or should there be a balance between privacy and disclosure to allow reasonable and rational people to resolve matters through personal responsibility and fair and due process? There is tension in the room. Higher, accountable leadership and stewardship are needed in this increasingly complex world to achieve the proper balance best serving all and allowing our social institutions to work.

International City/County Management Association Annual Conference

2011-07-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have begun my preparation for my quest to capture the latest new crest of the
wave ideas for Lebanon at the ICMA Annual Conference on September 18 -21,
2011 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! This highly praised Annual Conference continues
the ICMA tradition of offering an abundance of educational, information-sharing,
and networking tools that will help us better manage in our Lebanon community
in today’s complex environment. Especially in challenging times such as these,
the tools, tips, information, and resources that one can pick up at the conference
are more important than ever.

In addition to four stimulating daily keynote sessions, more than 60 concurrent
educational and Solutions Track sessions, 30 roundtable discussions, 21 ICMA
University workshops and 6 forums, field demonstrations, and numerous
demonstrations of technology applications will be offered at the ICMA’s 2011
Annual Conference. Innovative ideas and practical strategies will be presented
that Lebanon will need to deal with the challenges facing Lebanon in the State
of New Hampshire's cost down shifting environment to the detriment of Lebanon
and local City property tax payers. Now is a time for change, transformation, and
unification to align the limited resources available to the City of Lebanon in the
State of New Hampshire with the requirements imposed on the City of Lebanon
from so many directions. New emerging ideas and tools must be found and the
Milwaukee innovative event will be a good step among the many necessary
steps that will have to be taken to define a path for the future around which the
Lebanon community can rally and find consensus!

LebCity News - Great Stuff!

2011-07-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

The Lebanon city newsletter (http://myemail.constantcontact.com/LebCity-News--City-Manager-Videos--Hazardous-Waste--Auto-Thefts----More-.html?soid=1103464048415&aid=Nv_GlUpndDQ#fblike) is receiving kudos and recognition by the New Hampshire Town and City Magazine and appears in a profile in the current July-August addition in the Excerpt set forth below. Executive Assistant Paula Maville steers the newsletter content on behalf of the City Manager's Office and Melanie Cooper webmasters the delivery of the newsletter. Commendations for their outstanding efforts.

Excerpt:

http://www.nhlgc.org/publications/item_detail.asp?TCArticleID=398

CITY OF LEBANON
LebCity News and More
The City of Lebanon has published newsletters for many years to inform residents about department news, city events and other information. "A newsletter is a proactive approach to getting information to the community, making them aware of things they may not know about and prompting them to do a little research to learn more," says Paula Mayville, Executive Assistant to the City Manager.

The City of Lebanon Quarterly Newsletter provides city council messages and departmental updates. It was launched several years ago as a print publication distributed via bulk mail four times per year to every mailbox in the city—including residences and businesses. In 2009, budget cuts reduced the print publication to twice a year, and city officials sought new tools to fill the void. Less than two years later, Lebanon now offers three unique e-newsletters and one digital "e-minder," all available for online subscription via the city website. The Quarterly Newsletter is now published four times per year as an e-newsletter, and the summer and winter editions are also printed and distributed by mail. Officials have continued to fund the mailed publication in order to reach the city's sizable senior population, but budget pressures may lead to a search for new options in the future.

The monthly Recreation and Parks Newsletter, produced by Recreation Department staff, features department programs, initiatives and events, such as concerts, festivals, community clean ups and other city-sponsored activities. With a dynamic and engaging format, this newsletter receives several new subscriptions each week, making it the city's most popular publication.

Launched in early 2011, LebCity News is a weekly e-newsletter featuring brief highlights of city news, events and resources. A sidebar on the right-hand side provides quick links to articles and department web pages. A recent issue included the farmers' market schedule, a bear warning from the police department, product recalls from the fire department, employment news, an announcement of the upcoming 250^th Anniversary Celebration, with a call for volunteers, and links to the most recent city manager report. Webmaster Melanie Cooper compiles LebCity News each week based on recent updates to the city website, news announcements and frequent searches on the website. "If we see trends in numbers of people looking for answers to specific questions, we include information in the newsletter," says Cooper, who recently added a Top Searches section to the city website with links to frequently visited pages.

The city uses an e-newsletter service, which provides tools to manage the growing email database and enable individuals to update subscriptions through a simple online form located on the city website. Cooper is continually looking for new ways to use the technology. A Dog License e-Mindersubscription list was launched in March 2011. Now, instead of collecting and updating email addresses, the city clerk simply sends dog owners to the website to sign up, with no added work to do. Plans are underway for a new LebCity Alert subscription list to announce time-sensitive news, such as road closures and other safety messages.

Access to multiple newsletters enables the city to benefit from cross-marketing to those who subscribe to two or more. The city's May Community Clean Up was touted in the spring quarterly newsletter, the April and May Recreation Newsletter and LebCity News. On event day, 84 volunteers turned out, in spite of threatening rain clouds. Cross marketing for the 250^th Anniversary Celebration is currently underway.

Cooper offers the following advice for approaching municipal e-newsletters: Think like a citizen. What would you want to know? What would you like to read? Answer those questions, and keep it simple.

Preview recent newsletters. To learn more, contact Melanie Cooper at 603.448.0673.

Lebanon and CATV - Accessing Your Local Government

2011-07-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

The City of Lebanon supports CATV and CATV supports the City of Lebanon. Currently, the City of Lebanon funds CATV in the 2011 Budget. The City will be considering whether such funding should continue during the 2012 Budget deliberations and CATV will be consider whether its services can be continued if the funding falls short. A concept is being considered for funding CATV from franchise fees if the City pursues a franchise agreement with Comcast. CATV provides for coverage of the City Council, School District, and Planning Board http://www.catv8.org/schedules/channel-8.html. CATV also provides an opportunity for special programming like Lebanon in Depth http://manager.lebnh.net/home/lebanon-in-depth. Lebanon residents should reflect on the benefits and the costs of being able to access your local government affairs by cable access television. If you have an opinion or an idea on subject, please share.

Watch Lebanon in Depth!

2011-07-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

Lebanon in Depth is a presentation by the Office of City Manager to provide a behind the scenes analysis of Lebanon City operations and its affect on Lebanon citizens. Lebanon in Depth is part of the ongoing City efforts to achieve the outcome of 100% citizen participation in City governance. It will strive to be a clear and effective portal for communication and sharing resources with Lebanon citizens. Lebanon in Depth is produced and filmed by Community Access Television (CATV) and shown on its Channel 10 on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 7:30 a.m. CATV has now granted its permission to reproduce and post Lebanon in Depth to the City’s website at http://manager.lebnh.net/. Special thanks is extended CATV for its kindness and support.

Capital Improvements?

2011-07-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

Lebanon citizens may be hearing talk of "capital improvements" in the 2012 Budget days that lie ahead this year. When that term "capital improvements " is used, it means those items that pertain to planning and land use within the Lebanon Capital Improvement Program. Capital improvements include:

a) Any physical public betterment and studies relative thereto;

b) Acquisition of land;

c) Construction of new buildings and facilities with an estimated value in excess of $50,000;

d) Facilities engineering design and other preconstruction costs in excess of $50,000;

e) Major planning related studies and analysis requiring utilization of independent professional consultants in excess of $25,000;

f) Reconstruction of facilities resulting in more capacity for City growth.

Capital items that are operational in scope, vehicles for example, are not considered to be capital improvements. The words ‘physical public betterment’ mean any new use of land or infrastructure that is for the benefit of the community. Excluded from this definition are operational maintenance and improvements accruing a benefit to the Lebanon community, for example resurfacing a road, fixing a sidewalk, and other repairs that do not increase capacity. Residents need to think about what capital improvements they value the most in Lebanon when the City is considering capital improvement funding requests.

CITY OF LEBANON GROUND RULES

2011-07-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

Did you know your City has developed ground rules for all we do in our working teams and groups? Well we do and here they are:

CITY OF LEBANON

GROUND RULES

Ground rules establish the essential behaviors for an effective group process. The rules

should be reviewed or referenced at the beginning and the end of all group sessions.

1. Provide sufficient notice, background materials, and agendas.

2. Arrive on time, come prepared, and start and end on time, keep the duration of group sessions to no longer than an hour unless a longer session is planned, and, if the duration of the session exceeds one hour, always have a break.

3. Leave titles and personal agendas at the door; be courteous, polite, and professional, seek to understand, respect, and value others.

4. Address all issues in the group session and avoid hallway or side discussions.

5. All group members should equally participate and ask questions and no single member should dominate.

6. Be constructive and offer solutions.

7. Keep an open mind and value group diversity.

8. Be an active listener, do not interrupt others, and let others finish sentences and thoughts.

9. Always develop and explore alternatives.

10. Avoid being defensive and argumentative.

11. Maintain confidentiality of the group unless otherwise required by law or policy.

12. Upon reaching group consensus, be sure everyone in the group supports the final decision before concluding the session.

Cable Franchise Agreement?

2011-07-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

The City is reviewing the pursuit of a cable franchise agreement with Comcast. Such an agreement would address franchise fees as a new revenue stream to the City, use of public right-of-way by Comcast and any conditions thereon, extension of services to customers -factoring in population density and allocation of cost between Comcast and its customers, and cable access by the City to Comcast services. But, such a pursuit would entail a City commitment of $20,000 - $30,000 to engage an attorney specialist to be the City's negotiator with Comcast and lead the City through the process. For the time being, the City has decided to seek more information for presentation to the City Council, including an appearance by the specialist attorney, and await for a further time to see if there can be further clarification as to the financial challenges being faced by the City in the 2012 Budget, significantly impacted by the State's downshifting of costs to the City.

Kudos on the Patriot Flag Ceremony

2011-07-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Patriot Flag ceremony on the 4th of July was a great occasion for remembering and honoring all those who lost their lives at 9/11 and who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Kudos to the Fire Department and in particular Firefighter Jon Copeland for the tremendous effort in pulling this event off.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lebanon-NH-Fire-Department/122679617747566

The Dog Budget Days of Summer

2011-07-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

The dog budget days of summer are with us as July 1, 2011, begins the City of Lebanon's attempt to unravel the impacts of the State of New Hampshire's downshifting of costs to the City and prepare a working draft of a City 2012 Budget where the resources of the City are out of alignment with the requirements on the City to provide services and infrastructure. With the present footprint of City of Lebanon operations, the property tax in 2012 for Lebanon would grow to a 4 to 5 digit percent increase! So, what has to give? Long, hard hot summer hours of work will begin to tell the tale. For process background see http://manager.lebnh.net/home/additional-information/budget/budgetprocess2012budgetprocesscalendar

ICMA's Voluntary Credentialing Program

2011-07-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

I am an International City/County Managers Association (ICMA) credentialed manager enjoying my new found tenure as Lebanon City Manager. Yesterday, I filed on line my annual report with ICMA evidencing more than 40 hours of continuing education during the last 12 months. The ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program recognizes professional local government managers qualified by a combination of education and experience, adherence to high standards of integrity, and an assessed commitment to lifelong learning and professional development. Credentialed managers, like myself, are recognized by ICMA through a peer review credentialing process, and an annual and ongoing self-directed program, which offers an opportunity for interested ICMA members to quantify the unique expertise they bring to their communities. The program also assists ICMA members in focusing and reflecting upon their lifelong professional development experience. Members who participate in the program may earn the designation of ICMA Credentialed Manager granted by the ICMA Executive Board. ICMA Credentialed Managers are viewed with growing distinction by local governing bodies and progressive, civically engaged communities. as a professional local government manager. Quantification of the unique expertise credentialed mangers offer include demonstration of adherence to high standards of integrity, demonstration of commitment to lifelong learning, structured and focused professional development plans, and peer review of professional development activities and learning. This effort is intended to further the professionalism of the Lebanon City operations to better serve its residents

The Patriot Flag is coming to Lebanon!

2011-06-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Patriot Flag is coming to Lebanon thanks to the firefighters of Lebanon and their police, military service, and other community partners. Fire Fighter Jonathan Copeland is doing a splendid job coordinating the many details. The Patriot Flag ceremony will be held beginning at 11 a.m. on The Fourth Of July in front of Lebanon City Hall. See http://www.thepatriotflag.us/ Please come and participate.