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Lee County commissioners discuss Text MyGov service, costs and safeguards
Summary
Commissioners reviewed a proposed contract for Text MyGov, a mass texting and survey service, discussed cost, system features and safeguards to avoid politicization and confusion with emergency alerts, and agreed to develop policies and a rollout plan.
Lee County commissioners reviewed a proposal to subscribe to Text MyGov, a messaging and survey platform, and discussed costs, technical details, and policies to prevent misuse and protect emergency alerting.
County staff said the vendor offered to waive the $10,000 implementation fee if the county signed by the vendor’s deadline, making the first‑year cost $20,000, with $20,000 in years two and three; staff characterized the three‑year total as approximately $60,000. Staff also said the service can be configured to send district‑level texts and to run surveys, and that it would replace or consolidate several smaller systems (staff cited potential savings relative to a $14.50 annual system and Smartsheet costs).
Amanda, a county staff member involved in IT and communications integration, told the commission the county’s emergency alert system is separate and recommended careful rollout language: the Text MyGov deployment should be framed as “day‑to‑day notifications for general maintenance and commissioner communications,” while existing emergency alert subscriptions and procedures should remain the channel for urgent warnings.
Commissioners raised concerns about political use and access. One commissioner proposed a formal policy restricting posting privileges and limiting which county accounts can send messages; staff said Text MyGov supports permission controls, delayed posting, and user groups so content can be reviewed before it sends. Staff also said the service uses an “opt‑out” approach by buying contact numbers for county properties and sending an initial message; staff cited an approximate 4% opt‑out rate reported by the vendor.
Commissioners asked whether the county attorney had reviewed the contract; staff said the county attorney had not yet performed a full review but that the vendor and county staff had negotiated contract language and some liability edits with the vendor’s counsel. No contract signature occurred at the work session; staff recommended a 60‑day rollout and additional policy work before activation.
The commission agreed to draft a policy and procedure governing Text MyGov’s permissible uses (for example: trash, roadway maintenance, surveys, vacancy announcements) and to require that only county‑designated accounts send messages to prevent politicization. Staff also recommended integrating the county’s existing emergency management alert system into the rollout communications so residents can distinguish day‑to‑day texts from emergency warnings.
Staff will provide commissioners with login demonstrations, user‑group configurations, and draft permission settings for review before any contract is finalized.
