Barre City asks residents to sign up for Regroup emergency alerts ahead of winter; staff report 973 subscribers

City staff briefed the Barre City Council on Sept. 30 about Regroup, a messaging platform the city is using to send emergency and operational updates directly to residents’ phones and email addresses.

City Manager Nicholas described Regroup as a subscription service the city pays roughly $5,000 per year to operate; the app is free for users. He said the city’s resident channel has about 973 subscribers and used a recent water/sewer notification as an example: the staff send showed 860 delivered messages and 13 bounces. Nicholas posted step‑by‑step sign-up instructions on the city website and said the system can send push banners to phones, emails and (optionally) voice messages.

Councilors asked about non-cellphone households and voice-message sign-ups. Staff said the city can manually add phone-only residents to the system and planned targeted outreach for groups less likely to use smartphones, including making sign-up materials available at polling places. Councilor Spalding suggested on-site assistance at polls and other public events to help people register.

Nicholas and councilors discussed geofencing and confined notifications but said the city generally prefers citywide delivery for many alerts so household contacts can notify neighbors who may not be signed up. The manager also pointed to Regroup’s usefulness during the prior winter parking ban and the city’s plan to rely on the tool again.

Ending: Staff asked residents to sign up via the city website and said they will expand outreach — including printed guides and in-person help at public events — to reach people who lack smartphones or who need assistance registering.