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Council approves municipal text‑message service after debate over cost and opt‑in limits
Summary
Council authorized a municipal text messaging contract (baseline 25,000 messages) but members cautioned about opt‑in requirements, hidden per‑message costs (about 7¢ per excess message) and limiting use to emergencies; staff said usage would be monitored and evaluated after one year.
Benton City Council approved a resolution authorizing a municipal text‑message service to provide mass notifications to residents, after a discussion about costs, use policy and opt‑in requirements.
The contract described a baseline package of 25,000 messages for about $1,800 annually (roughly $150 per month) with the option to buy additional credits at approximately 7¢ per message; a 50,000‑message tier was discussed at a projected price of about $2,800 annually. Council members stressed that residents must opt into the service (the vendor does not automatically import phone numbers) and that the city should limit messages to emergencies to avoid recurring overage costs.
Why it matters: text messages may reach residents who do not use other channels and can be faster than social media for urgent notices. Council members observed that some residents rely on texts as a primary alert channel while others receive many notifications and may opt out. Members suggested restricting city use to emergency or high‑priority messages and monitoring usage closely.
Vote and follow‑up: council approved the contract and agreed to track usage and re‑evaluate the service after a year to determine whether to continue or to change tiers or usage policy.
Representative council concern: one councilmember said they worried about hidden fees if daily nonessential messages were sent to a large opt‑in list; staff said dashboard tools would allow monitoring of message counts and thresholds.
