Lebanon task force debates how to get residents involved in a new strategic plan

The Lebanon Strategic Planning Task Force met in the city council chambers to work through a public engagement approach for a proposed strategic plan and to identify next steps for outreach.

Beth Beroldi, director of public engagement and communication, pointed to the city's existing materials and tools: "If you go lebanonnh.gov/strategicplan," she said, noting a dashboard Melanie McDonough created to centralize information. Members discussed a mix of tactics — postcards with QR codes, flyers, neighborhood kits and presence at farmers markets — to increase participation and collect feedback.

Members debated whether to ask broad vision questions or offer concrete, pre-existing priorities to respondents. Melanie McDonough argued for giving residents specific items to react to rather than a blank page: using the strategic plan's stated priorities as a way for people to agree or rank what matters most. The task force agreed that outreach should prioritize Lebanon residents and that any engagement approach should include a clear plan for analyzing and returning results to the community.