The damage reporter of the Otterbach-Otterberg municipality BeheBes is an innovative, web-based reporting portal that enables residents of the Otterbach-Otterberg municipal association to easily and efficiently report municipal concerns to the administration. Whether it concerns potholes, faulty street lighting, or environmental problems – residents can submit their concerns directly via the portal, track the status of their ticket, and stay informed about its processing. Development of BeheBes began in 2023 with the goal of creating a user-friendly, digital solution for managing citizen concerns. That same year, the system was initially introduced in the municipality of Otterbach in a test phase to gain initial experience and further optimize its functionality. After successful testing, the system was rolled out to the entire municipality in 2025. What makes BeheBes special is the integration of a self-hosted AI system based on the Phi3.5 AI LLM (Large Language Model). This AI automatically categorizes incoming requests, helping administrative staff respond to citizens' concerns more quickly and specifically. BeheBes is not only user-friendly but also data protection compliant. Citizens using the portal must agree to the privacy policy before submitting their reports. The collected data is processed securely, and through the portal, citizens receive automatic confirmation emails and notifications about the status of their requests. Citizens can also view the status of their tickets at any time and learn about progress or completed work. This transparency promotes trust and satisfaction with municipal services. The BeheBes backend was developed on a LAMP stack and offers a robust and scalable solution. The connection to the municipal association's internal ticket system enables seamless processing of requests. In addition, BeheBes will be published on GitHub in the future, so that other municipalities and developers can benefit from the open-source solution. BeheBes' long-term vision is to further digitize communication between citizens and the administration and increase the efficiency of processing requests. In the future, the system will be continuously developed and expanded with additional functions to create even more added value for citizens and the administration. BeheBes thus represents a significant step in the digitalization of municipal administration and relies on innovative technologies to improve cooperation between citizens and public administration.

The problem:

To date, the management of citizen requests in many municipalities has largely been done manually or through insufficiently digitized processes. This often leads to long response times, confusing workflows, and a lack of transparency for citizens. Citizens often have no way of tracking the status of their requests or do not receive prompt feedback, which can lead to frustration and a loss of trust in the administration.

Goals:

The main goal of BeheBes was to create a user-friendly and efficient platform that enables both citizens and the administration to communicate easily, transparently, and quickly. Particular emphasis was placed on data protection and ease of use. The solution was designed to enable citizens to conveniently submit their concerns via an online portal and provide the administration with fast and targeted processing of inquiries.



To achieve this goal, a web-based system was developed that offers a user-friendly interface for citizens and a powerful backend infrastructure for the administration. AI-supported categorization of requests, integration with a ticketing system, and the ability to track the status of a request in real time are key components of this solution.