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Residents press for transparency on check register; vendor asks council to consider 9‑1‑1 alerting technology
Summary
During public comment, residents demanded the city publish its check register online and a vendor seeking council support demonstrated a system to alert authorities when 9‑1‑1 calls fail to connect.
Several members of the public used the council’s public‑comment period to press two separate issues: transparency about the city’s check register and a request from a company that says it can provide real-time alerts when 9‑1‑1 calls do not connect.
Transparency and check register. Mike Fisher, an Amarillo resident, said he had asked the city to publish its check register online and that the item was previously placed on an agenda and described as continuing until resolved but subsequently removed. Fisher asked why the city manager removed the item without consulting the mayor, citing Section 22 of the Amarillo City Charter on agenda preparation. He urged the council to restore the item and for the city manager to comply with the charter and make financial records available. Mayor Stanley replied that the city manager had committed to place the item on the next agenda.
9‑1‑1 alerting technology. Leif Curtis spoke on behalf of Failsafe Communications Incorporated and asked the council to consider scheduling a future agenda item to receive a presentation and request a nonbinding resolution of support for the company’s technology. Curtis said the system uses signaling associated with telephone calls to identify callers who cannot complete a 9‑1‑1 call and to send summary alerts to the 9‑1‑1 center and designated city recipients. Curtis said the technology is patented and that compliance with "FCC 22 88" is being enforced against carriers; he demonstrated a test workflow with a phone call and a text alert that was received in the chamber during public comment. Council asked staff to connect Curtis with city staff for further review.
Staff follow-up. After public comment, the mayor asked the city manager to address Mr. Fisher’s concern after the meeting; the mayor also instructed staff to follow up with Curtis and have his team meet with the appropriate staff and Mr. Freeman for evaluation and possible future presentation.
