Commissioners pause Civic Plus payments, direct use of free Everbridge emergency notifications, plan website strategy session

Linn County commissioners voted to hold payment on the county’s Civic Plus service while staff pursue a website strategy session and expand use of a free emergency-notification system, Everbridge.

Why it matters: County leaders said they missed weather and shelter notifications during a recent ice storm and that Civic Plus had not been used to push urgent messages to the public or staff. Commissioners and staff discussed using Everbridge — a free, Homeland Security–funded alert system that several county staff said already supports hundreds of sign-ups — to provide targeted emergency alerts to county employees and towns.

Details: A county presenter described a planned “strategy session” with a web vendor (estimated cost $500 for a three-hour session) to identify required website features and scope. The presenter said some features, such as forms that collect data or an inmate roster, could increase website costs. She said many departments already use simple links to external services to avoid extra charges, but that integrated features raise costs.

Commissioners said the Civic Plus contract renewal (annual) could be paused while the county determines its web needs. One county official said Everbridge can send targeted messages by group (for example, only courthouse staff or only Road and Bridge) and that the county already uses it for some notifications and FEMA ID tagging for new hires. The health/emergency office recommended email as the primary channel for staff notifications, with phone calls for emergencies.

A county administrator asked staff to research how many county phones and department heads currently have access and to set protocols for who sends alerts and how. Commissioners agreed to explore Everbridge immediately and delay paying the Civic Plus invoice until the county finalizes a website plan. Staff will also follow up with the vendor on precise estimates after the strategy session.

Quotes and attribution: “If we’re not going to use [Civic Plus] the way it needs to be used…we need to get rid of it,” an unidentified commissioner said during discussion. Brandy (staff) noted Everbridge has hundreds of signed-up users and that “it’s free.”

Next steps: Staff will schedule the strategy session with web vendors, confirm Civic Plus contract timing, expand Everbridge usage for targeted alerts and return with recommendations on website scope and estimated costs.