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Council to review TextMyGov usage after unexpected distribution list inflated message counts
Summary
Councilors questioned a recent TextMyGov message-count spike after staff discovered a secondary distribution list of roughly 3,000 additional contacts had been included; staff will audit lists, pause nonemergency blasts and report back with recommendations.
Council members raised concerns about TextMyGov message counts at the Jan. 7 workshop after a staff review found a secondary distribution list had been included unintentionally in recent broadcasts.
Why it matters: The borough was billed for message volume that appeared inconsistent with the number of opt‑in subscribers; staff will audit distribution lists so future emergency-only texts are sent only to opted-in subscribers.
Council questioned an invoice and per-message math after staff reported “300,000 messages” being used in a billing window. Steve (borough staff) and Todd (council) said the apparent message count resulted because the platform counts each recipient individually and an imported secondary list — apparently derived from USPS or other sources and totaling about 3,300 extra contacts — had been included in some sends, multiplying the message-line totals.
Council asked staff and a TextMyGov representative (Emma) to: (1) audit the current subscriber lists and remove the unintended distribution list, (2) identify what add‑on services (auto‑reply lines, short code, extra lists) the borough is paying for and whether the borough is using them, (3) verify how long message segments count as multiple billable messages (long SMS splits), and (4) limit non‑emergency blasts until the audit is complete. Staff suggested buying a small block of additional messages to bridge operations if needed while the audit continues.
Ending: Staff (Todd and Steve) will meet with the TextMyGov rep to resolve the list and billing issues, will recommend whether to renew the full contract or pare back services, and will report results to council before a renewal decision.
