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McLean County approves one-year subscription to countywide mass-notification system
Summary
The Executive Committee authorized a one-year subscription to a mass-notification system, citing new alert capabilities for cell-tower geofenced messaging and a planned public communication rollout; officials said ongoing costs will be considered in future budgets.
The McLean County Executive Committee on Monday approved a one-year subscription to a mass-notification system to alert residents of emergencies and targeted public-safety messages.
Member Rogel moved approval of the subscription and Member Klein seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote.
County staff described the purchase as a low-cost, preferred solution identified by the sheriffs office and emergency management. "We are one of the only counties in the state of Illinois that does not already have this capacity," Member Klein said, noting the system can use cell towers to geofence alerts to specific areas.
Information-technology staff explained the initial contract covers a single year so the county can evaluate rollout, usage and costs before committing to longer-term agreements. "We will just continue to add it into our annual budget, and then it'll be subject to approval of the board," a staff member said. Officials said the one-year term also permits a shorter trial period in case the system fails to meet expectations.
Committee members asked about public notification, interagency coordination and functionality. IT staff said they will develop a communication plan following approval and that county departments such as the health department and METCOM could coordinate use. Regarding municipal systems, officials said some cities already run their own alert services; the county indicated it could send messages on behalf of a municipality in a public-safety emergency.
On functionality, staff said the product supports multiple delivery modes, including email and text, and provides reverse-911 or "blast" capabilities for narrowly targeted severe emergencies. Staff also said geofencing typically notifies mobile devices physically present in the targeted area and that visitors to the area (for example, conference attendees) would receive alerts if their devices were in the geofenced zone. Pricing is population-based; staff described the subscription as offering unlimited emergency notifications plus a population-based allotment for opt-in communications in the first year to gauge demand.
Staff said legal counsel has reviewed the contract. Board members asked about long-term funding; IT staff said the county will incorporate the subscription cost into the annual budget going forward. The committee approved the purchase by voice vote.
