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County explores desk‑alert and website vendor upgrades to improve accessibility and rapid alerts
Summary
Commissioners heard staff reports on a proposed desktop alert system (DeskAlerts) for courthouse/office instant messaging and a possible website vendor switch to CivicPlus to fix ADA and mobile‑site issues; staff plan demos and follow‑ups before any contract change.
County IT and courthouse security staff presented two separate but related technology proposals: (1) a desktop alert product (DeskAlerts) to push instant, site‑wide notifications to county staff computers, and (2) evaluation of a new content management provider (CivicPlus) to replace the county's current website platform, which staff said has persistent accessibility and content‑management problems.
Karen and Eric (county staff) summarized the DeskAlerts demo: the software can place a configurable icon in users' system trays and push predefined emergency messages ("fire," "active shooter," etc.) that pop to the front of staff computers. The vendor quoted a ballpark range of roughly $45–55 per seat per year for a 250‑seat deployment; staff said the product is used by other local public agencies and could be configured to limit who can issue alerts. Judge Burke and courthouse security committee members asked about a fast, single‑click panic option for staff who are away from a physical panic button; IT staff said demonstrations can show the workflow and that a system‑tray icon would allow a two‑click alert to launch prewritten messages.
Separately, staff reported ongoing dissatisfaction with the county's current web vendor (Revise). They noted ADA compliance issues, cumbersome file management and the lack of a single responsive site that automatically adjusts for mobile users. CivicPlus was identified as a more expensive alternative but one that builds ADA compliance into content creation and automatically adapts pages for mobile without maintaining separate site versions. Staff recommended scheduling a demo of DeskAlerts with commissioners and security stakeholders, and continuing CivicPlus conversations; commissioners asked for a follow‑up demo that includes a commissioner and courthouse security member.
Ending: No contract decisions were made. Staff will schedule a DeskAlerts demo with a commissioner and security stakeholders and pursue further CivicPlus information about migration, ADA tooling and content‑management workflows.
