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Cramerton weighs replacing Final Connect with town app; commissioners flag equity concerns
Summary
Staff presented options to replace the town's CTY Blackboard Connect system (Final Connect) with a platform called StackBench that could provide a downloadable Cramerton app; commissioners asked staff to seek a vendor presentation and raised concerns about excluding residents who won't use an app.
Town Manager Zach Ollis told the board that delivery reports for the current CTY Blackboard Connect system (referred to on the agenda as 'Final Connect') show declining engagement and that staff is evaluating alternatives. One product under consideration is StackBench, which could build a Cramerton app to host meeting dates, community events and push notifications for emergencies.
Ollis said the app’s cost would be similar to the town’s current renewal cost for Final Connect and recommended bringing a StackBench representative to a future meeting to field questions from the board. “We want to make sure citizens are being informed of things that are taking place in the Town,” he said.
Commissioner Dixie Abernathy voiced a concern common to digital-notification discussions: that residents who do not download or use the app could be left out of important communications. She asked staff to consider inclusive alternatives before moving forward with an app-only strategy.
No formal action was taken; staff will invite a StackBench representative to answer questions at a future meeting and provide additional data for board consideration.
