City Manager's Blog

BUDGET 2010

2009-08-26T06:08:00.001-07:00

City Staff are presently drafting the City Manager's proposed budget. This budget with be sent to the City Council on October 31, 2009.

A copy will be available at City Hall or online.

Please submit suggestions, comments, or questions to manager@lebcity.com or call our office at 603-448-4220.

It is important the we hear from you during this time and understand resident priorities as we craft a workable budget.

MASTER PLAN: IT'S NEVER TO LATE TO PARTICIPATE!

2009-08-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

MASTER PLAN: PLEASE PARTICIPATE!

2009 Master Plan Information

This website is provided for the residents of the City of Lebanon and others interested in the development and implementation of Lebanon’s Master Plan. Use the links above to access more detailed information about the Master Plan and its development process.

GO TO www.lebcity.com and check out or Master Planning Web Site and please participate!

Budget 2010

2009-05-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not - it is nearly budget time. The Budget Transmittal Letter from the City Manager to Department Heads will be going out late June or the first week of July. The City Manager's Budget is submitted to the City Council on October 31.

At this point, I would love to hear your comments, questions or suggestions as we begin to make preparations for this next budget cycle. Where should our priorities be in 2010? What is important to you? Which programs are most important?

We will have some tough decisions to make on 2009 and 2010. We are expecting a revenue shortfall of around $500,000 depending on the State Budget. This will carry over to 201o as well.

Please, it is important that we hear from our residents early in the process and especially during the December budget hearing.

Call or email with questions. Thanks!

Coffee Hour and AIrport Tour

2009-05-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Coffee Hour and Airport Tour: Please Join myself and our new Airport Manager, Rick Dyment, for coffee and conversation at the Airport.

When: Thursday, June 25th, 2009 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM.

Where: Airport Terminal Building (Former Restaurant Space), Airport Road, West Lebanon.

Hope to see you there - please bring your comments, questions, and issues to discuss. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

City Manager Coffee Hour

2009-05-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has attended one of the City Manager Coffee Hours!

These meetings have been very successful (attendance) and I plan to continue these sessions. We have had 2 morning sessions and 1 afternoon session. Next up - an evening session. Date and Time to be announced.

I have enjoyed listening and learning from you and I certainly hope the benefit has been mutual. Please don't feel you have to wait for a coffee hour to ask questions. Please call (448-4220) or email (manager@lebcity.com) anytime! More details to come.

Thanks Again!

Master Plan Survey - Time is Running Out - May 11 Deadline

2009-05-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Please take a moment to fill out the Master Plan survey. May 11th is the final day to complete the survey!

Your answers will help the City's Planning Board and Planning Department craft a Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendment that reflects what residents want for their City.

The survey may take some time to complete (perhaps 15 minutes), but we hope you'll find the time well spent. It's an investment in Lebanon's future, and the City needs everyone's opinions.

Thank you again for your time and your ideas!

West Lebanon Coffee Hour - Mt. Lebanon School

2009-03-18T06:34:00.001-07:00

Coffee and Conversation is coming to West Lebanon. Please bring your questions, ideas, comments and concerns.

Date will be announced shortly. Location: Mt. Lebanon School.

More to come...

Coffee & Conversation: April 2nd, 10:00AM at Salt Hill

2009-03-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

Please join me for coffee and conversation at Salt hill on Thursday, April 2nd from 10:00am to 11:am.

This is an opportunity for me to listen to you - your concerns, questions, ideas, etc. There is no presentation planned. This is really an opportunity to hear from our residents and business community in an informal setting.

Please plan to attend! Our first session was a success!

Governor's Proposed Budget - Call your local legislators

2009-03-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Governor's proposed budget does not fund Revenue Sharing and Meals & Rooms Tax for municipalities.

What does this mean for the City? A loss of around $1,022,000 in revenue.

What does this mean for residents? A potential tax rate increase of .60/per $1,000 of assessed value. This is over a 7% increase as compared to our 2009 tax rate or about $150 additional on the tax bill for a home assessed at $250,000.

Additionally, the Governor's proposed budget does not fund the state's 2.5% share of the state and local match for federally funded airport projects. The city has the potential to receive around $40 million in federal funds over the next five years. The loss of the state's portion jeopardizes this funding and the associated benefits (construction projects, etc.).

Please contact your local legislators and ask them to restore the following revenues:

1. Revenue Sharing,

2. Meals & Rooms Tax,

3. State's 2.5% Match for Airport Projects.

Please encourage our legislators to creatively use federal stimulus funds to shore up the state's budget instead of handing off state budget problems to municipalities and school districts. Let's tackle one budget versus over 400!

The following link takes you to the states website and legislator contact information:

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/whosmyleg/default.asp

Coffee & Conversation: February 5th, 10:00AM at Salt Hill

2009-02-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Please join the Mayor and I for coffee and conversation.

Bring your questions, comments, and issues to discuss.

We are looking forward to joining residents and our business community

in an informal setting for an opportunity to share with you what is happening

in and around Lebanon.

Thanks!

Questions? Give us a call at 603-448-4220 or email manager@lebcity.com

Back in Action

2009-02-02T07:39:00.000-08:00

The blog is back - please check in for news and info.

2008-05-15T13:39:00.001-07:00

CSO 6: School Street

Final plans are posted on the City's website and larger plans are available for review at City Hall and the Lebanon Public Library.

2008-05-15T13:38:00.001-07:00

VACATION: I will be on vacation next week and will respond to blog questions upon my return. Keep the comments coming! Thanks! Immediate questions can be sent to manager@lebcity.com.

2008-05-05T07:42:00.001-07:00

Comments:

I generally try to respond weekly to comments as well as post new blog entries. I will fordward comments to appropriate departments for feedback prior to responding.

Thanks. Appreciate the comments!

2008-05-05T07:27:00.001-07:00

Capital Project Communication:

Please assist the City as we formulate a communication strategy to better reach our residents durng construction projects. Please provide us with your ideas/strategies to better elicit public comment - early and often.

Thanks for the input! We will use this information as we vuild our communication strategy.

2008-05-05T07:24:00.001-07:00

CSO Project - School Street

REMINDER:
The Pedestrian/Bicyclist Committee is meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 6th at 7PM in the West Meeting Room to discuss options for School Street.

The City Council will have this item on as an agenda item Wednesday night (May 7th). the City Council meeting starts at 7PM.

School Street Project -Combined Sewer Overflow Project No. 6

2008-04-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

For more details on the current CSO project in the area along School Street, please see the link below.

http://www.lebcity.com/public_documents/lebanonnh_events/014211BA-000F8513

The purpose of the project is to remove storm water that currently enters the sanitary sewer system as required per an Administrative Order from the Environmental Protection Agency.

City's 50 Anniversary!

2008-04-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

The City (versus Town 1761) of Lebanon was established in 1958. Plans are in the works for various activities throughout the year.

Please join us in celebrating Lebanon on July 4th during the parade and fireworks program.

For more information, please call 448-5121 or 448-4220. Otherwise, please see the link below.

http://lebanonnh.virtualtownhall.net/public_documents/lebanonnh_events/50years.pdf

New Associate Planner!

2008-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Tracey Thibault! Tracey is the City's newest addition to our Planning Department. Tracey has come to us from Maine. She has spent much of her career as a Code Enforcement Officer working closely with various types of Land Use Ordinances. During this time Tracey also worked on the Master Plans of the communities she worked for including soliciting public participation and writing updates. She also has experience with working on other types of plans like an Open Space Plan. Tracey has spent time working for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection assisting municipalities in adopting and administering their mandatory shoreland zoning ordinances. A graduate of College of the Atlantic with a B.A. in Human Ecology, and the University of Maine with a M.S. in Ecology and Environmental Science and a Masters of Public Administration, Tracey’s education focused on municipal government and land use. Currently, she resides in Enfield with her husband and 3 cats.

Back to Blogging

2008-04-17T13:04:00.001-07:00

Sorry to have been absent for a few weeks, but it is my intent to get back to weekly (and hopefully more often) postings! Thanks for the questions! Keep them coming.

2008 Capital Improvement Projects

2008-04-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

The following link takes you directly to a status report of current and upcoming Capital Improvement Projects. If you have comments or questions, please post a comment or call 603-448-3122.

http://www.lebcity.com/Public_Documents/LebanonNH_Agendas/ccl-agendas/CCL-2008-04-16.pdf/0.%20Presentation%20-%20CIP%20Project%20Update.pdf

Thanks For the Comments

2008-02-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for the comments. I will try and address these at least weekly as well.

Here we go:

Yes, please submit topics that you would like to hear/learn about.
I will make every effort to respond to postings weekly.
Snow/Winter Operations - Lebanon is not seeing the shortage other communities have seen in recent weeks. We have two contracts in place and are able to meet our needs with those supplies at our earlier bid prices. Sand is available at DPW for resident use as well. Additionally, the City's Winter Operations Plan is available on the City's website at www.lebcity.com under the Public Works homepage.

Thanks again for the comments - keep them coming.

2008 City Manager Goals

2008-02-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

Annually, the City Manager presents a set of goals to the City Council for adoption. I am in the midst of preparing these goals for presentation to the City Council and would appreciate feedback from our community as to what you would like to see the City focus on in 2008. Items may include such topics as affordable housing, transportation, communication, etc. Please submit you ideas to manager@lebcity.com or via this blog. The more specific the goal, the easier to define successful measures for performance. The following we the goals identified for 2007:

CITY MANAGER GOALS FOR 2007:

1. DPW: Secure site for new DPW facility and begin construction (Earliest – Fall 2007).

2. Institute a review and bring forward a plan to institute Public Access Television for the City of Lebanon.

3. Review current franchise agreements and formulate a plan to better utilize this mechanism with appropriate utilities. This should be coordinated with LGC efforts.

4. Formulate recommendation regarding non-bargaining unit employee compensation and benefits (specifically, health insurance contribution).

5. Convene a representative group of employees, including all four unions, in an effort to survey the state of existing municipal health insurance programs in New Hampshire with a view toward identifying and vetting viable alternatives that may both hold promise to save the city and employees money in the long-term without sacrificing program coverage and quality. (2007-2008)

6. Zoning: Assist City Council in bringing the Zoning Ordinance Forward for Final Council Consideration in the fall of 2007.

7. Transportation Master Plan: Begin to formulate a Transportation Master Plan. (2007-2008)

8. Finalize and begin to implement the Landfill Business Plan.

9. Update the City’s webpage and review and institute similar e-resources where appropriate, i.e. weblog.

Winter Weather

2008-02-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

It has been a week full of rain, ice and snow. I think our crew does an excellent job, but we are always looking to improve. I would like to get feedback as to the roads and sidewalks. How are we doing? Where can we improve? Do you have questions as to how we conduct our winter operations?

Thanks for the input!

Gregg Mandsager,

City Manager

Introduction

2008-02-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

This blog is an attempt to increase public awareness and knowledge of your local government. I plan to post comments and photos of current city events, projects, and issues on a weekly basis. I hope you find this to be a useful tool! I would appreciate your feedback. Let me know what topics interest you.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!

Gregg Mandsager,
City Manager
City of Lebanon, NH