In 2021 the City of Lebanon was actively engaged in public outreach through our LebanonNH.gov website. As we close out the year, we take this opportunity to thank our residents and community members for engaging in these efforts and share the following year-end statistics to illustrate your involvement.
Website Traffic
All totaled, we had over 2,365,700 total pageviews to our website comprised of approximately 355,639 total visitors, who averaged roughly four pages per visit. Approximately 271,850 of those visits started on the City homepage. From there, residents and visitors navigated their way to our online city services to:
More Public Engagement Statistics
Here are some additional statistics that demonstrate the level of engagement we experienced this year across some of our other online services.
Ask LebNH
Our Ask LebNH system provides hundreds of answers to frequently asked questions sorted by category. If you can’t find an answer to your question, or you have a concern you would like to share, you can use the Ask LebNH request form to submit it. This year we received 131 requests through this system, all answered by a city staff member best suited to the topic.
LebConnect (SeeClickFix)
Our LebConnect service, powered by SeeClickFix, allows residents and visitors to report problems to City staff such as potholes, trail damage, vandalism, and more. Requests are automatically routed to the staff member or department best suited to address the issue. Those submitting issues can then track the progress of their request and the public can view it on an interactive map. Since this new service launched on July 15, 2021, we have received 77 requests with 75 successfully resolved. Two issues still remain open as we wait for third-party scheduling to occur. The average time it takes to resolve an issue is currently 3.7 days.
Solid Waste Permits
As many of you know, we successfully launched a new digital permitting system at the Lebanon Solid Waste Facility this year. The new permitting requirement went into effect on September 1, 2021 and since that time, we have issued just over 6,500 permits. A very heartfelt thanks to all our residents and patrons from 22 other participating communities who have patiently worked through this process with us. We appreciate you!
Chatbot Stats
On June 16, 2021 we introduced our first AI assistant to the website! Our new Chatbot (pronounced "Chat Bot") is located on the bottom, righthand side of every page on our website and allows you quickly ask questions and receive answers. The chatbot utilizes artificial intelligence to learn from the questions you ask and improve the answers it provides. Asking questions helps our chatbot get smarter. Since launching in June, you have asked over 2,870 questions and our chatbot is getting smarter every day!
LebAlerts
Our LebAlert system allows our community members to receive up-to-the-minute notifications announcing emergency notices, road closures, public safety news, and more through email, text, and phone. Besides our general alert group, we have groups for LebRec cancellations, ice rink notifications, construction project updates, and more. This year city staff sent out nearly 200 LebAlerts to our subscribers to keep you informed of disruptions to city operations.
Newsflashes
Newsflashes are posted by city departments to inform residents of non-emergency news and events happening around the City. Website visitors can subscribe to receive updates via email or text by subscribing at LebanonNH.gov/NotifyMe. This year city staff posted over 265 newsflashes which were collectively viewed 46,903 times! Thanks for staying informed!
LebNews
LebNews is the City's weekly e-newsletter, usually sent every Thursday to keep our community informed of events and news happening in the City of Lebanon. It consists of a collection of recently posted newsflashes, events, job postings, upcoming meetings, photo of the week, and more. This year we published 45 editions of LebNews. You can subscribe to LebNews and other City communications at LebanonNH.gov/Subscribe.
Agendas
City meetings remained alive and well despite this pandemic year. Thank you to all of our board and committee members, as well as staff members, who dedicate themselves to helping Lebanon continue to thrive. To give you a sense of how much work is being done, over 250 agendas were published this year, each representing several hours of planning, discussion, and public engagement. As a reminder, all boards and committee meetings are now held in person at Lebanon City Hall but we continue to offer the public the option to participate in all meetings remotely. Learn more by visiting our agenda center at LebanonNH.gov/Agendas.
LebNH Photos
Our LebNH Photo Gallery continues to grow! This year over 63 photos were submitted to our public photo gallery. Thank you! We appreciate the photos you have shared and seeing the places and events you enjoy in our wonderful city. Watch for them highlighted in our public communications and across our website. You can help us continue building a showcase of LebNH Life by submitting your photos at LebanonNH.gov/Photos.
Ringing in the New Year
We have shared a lot of numbers with you which illustrate just some of our public outreach efforts, none of which would be successful without your support. We want you to know that we are here, listening, watching, and actively engaged in discussions about how we can better serve you. We know these pandemic times have affected everyone and we greatly appreciate your patience and support as we strive to make Lebanon the very best place to live, work, and play. Keep your ideas coming through our Ask LebNH system and other venues.
All of us wish you the happiest, healthiest New Year!
