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East Point to replace phone system; IT warns 400 numbers will change and urges rapid public notice
Summary
IT staff told council a vendor change required replacing phones and issuing about 400 new phone numbers; staff said the main city line (404-270-7001) remains active, a website banner will be posted within 24 hours and a multi-week communications campaign (utility bill notice, flyers at senior centers) will run to reduce resident confusion.
City IT staff told council that a vendor and technology upgrade required issuing new phone numbers for roughly 400 lines because number-porting was not available.
"So the only option we had was to get new phones along with new phone numbers," IT Director John Wallman said, describing an installation plan to roll out new numbers beginning at City Hall and to finish by the end of the month.
Sid Robinson, senior program manager, outlined a communications plan that includes a notice on the city website with interim numbers, a top-of-page banner within 24 hours, utility-bill notices, printed infographics in high-touch locations (customer-service counters, Bowden Center, Jefferson Park), and staged rollouts to avoid saturating the public with changes at once. Council members pressed for immediate notification to seniors and non-internet users and recommended printed materials in places older residents frequent.
IT staff confirmed that the main city public number residents commonly use—(404) 270-7001—remained in service; (404) 270-7000 had already been disconnected. Staff said the city operator will have an updated list of interim department numbers to assist callers while the roll-out continues.
The council did not take a separate vote but asked staff to accelerate communications and provide a stable list of department contact numbers for the switch-over period.
