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Woodruff board rejects high-cost alert system, agrees to trial pay-as-you-go notification service
Summary
Board members discussed several emergency-alert and website options and favored a pay-as-you-go service (Dial My Calls) and improved website use over a $1,500-per-year vendor solution.
Board members reviewed proposals for town emergency alerts and a website redesign, and decided not to adopt an expensive vendor package at this time while asking staff to pilot a lower-cost, credit-based notification service.
A board member summarized the options and urged caution on the pricier plans: "The $1,500, like, that's a lot of money for as least likely that we're gonna use it," she said, noting the town's limited number of residents and irregular use case. Officials compared three approaches: a full-service vendor with a $500 setup fee and an approximately $747 annual charge; a GoDaddy-hosted solution (lower cost but unclear alerting features); and a pay-as-you-go service called Dial My Calls.
Board members favored testing Dial My Calls on a limited basis. Staff explained the service's model: municipalities can buy credits and send one message per phone number per message; for example, 500 credits can be purchased and roll over month-to-month. "You could pay per month if you wanted to try it out for a few months to see how it works," a member said. Staff also recommended an opt-in model where residents would register phone numbers and receive a QR code or sign-up sheet to control consent. The board agreed that testing the credit system monthly would let the town measure sign-up rates before making a larger commitment.
The board asked staff to continue working on the website transfer (the state-required domain change was noted) and to investigate linking an online bill-pay function. Members noted the town's limited population—about 90 households billed directly for water—and the need to protect the town's post office and other existing community communication channels.
After discussion, one board member said they would "vote no on the other 2" higher-cost options and the board signaled agreement. Members directed staff to trial a pay-as-you-go notification system, prepare neutral sign-up materials (flyer, QR code), and report back with sign-up numbers and costs for a three-month pilot.
