Committee advances phone‑tree flyer and emergency alert options for water notices

YAMHILL — Committee members agreed to move forward with a phone‑tree flyer, an answering‑machine‑style phone line and closer coordination with the city’s notification tools to improve how water curtailments and other emergency messages reach residents.

At the meeting members described a simple outreach plan: print an initial run of roughly 250 double‑sided flyers for residents who are not online, distribute them by volunteers and include the phone number and places to find online updates. Committee members debated whether the first run should be single‑sided for ease of home printing; the group agreed to start with an initial batch and expand later if needed.

On automated phone alerts, the committee discussed setting up a dedicated message/phone tree number — an answering‑machine recording people could call any time for current water information — and also noted the city phone system appears to support targeted options. Members expressed caution about overuse of mass alerts so that true emergencies would not be ignored.

Preferred contact methods: Some members said they would prefer a text message for immediate notice while others rely on email; the committee asked staff to assess the city’s existing phone/alert platform and whether Kim or Angie (city staff) could configure an emergency option.

Distribution logistics and scale: The committee estimated an initial neighborhood distribution of 250 flyers, noting that post‑office and out‑of‑city residences may increase the number of required copies. Volunteers on the committee offered to deliver extra copies to neighbors and clustered mailboxes.

Next steps: Staff was asked to (1) prepare a one‑sided and double‑sided proof for printing, (2) inventory volunteers for a door‑to‑door distribution, and (3) check with city staff about configuring an emergency phone/text option and appropriate content/thresholds for use.