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Council tables proposed city text‑messaging service amid questions on costs and message limits
Summary
Councilors postponed a vote on a proposed annual $1,800 text-messaging service (vendor referenced as "Municipal 1") after questions about how the vendor counts messages, a 25,000-message limit and potential overage charges if many residents enroll.
The Benton City Council tabled consideration of a proposed text-messaging service after council members raised questions about message-accounting, recipient counts and potential overage charges.
The resolution (recorded as Resolution 2026‑03) described an agreement with a vendor referenced in the packet as "Municipal 1" to provide citywide text alerts. Council members asked how the vendor counts messages and whether the stated 25,000‑message allowance covers distinct recipients or total outgoing texts. One councilmember noted the annual fee listed in the packet, "$1,800 is for the yearly service," and asked whether the city could face per‑message overage charges if many residents sign up. "If we had everybody in town sign up, we're well over 3,000 people... if they charge us 3 cents of overage per person and we send out 45,000 texts, I don't want them to get data with that," the council member said.
Staff said sign-up would be voluntary and that residents would register online; the packet includes an opt-out and the ability to create separate contact lists (for street projects vs. broader notices). Council asked staff to obtain written clarification from the vendor on how messages are counted, what situations trigger overage charges, and whether message lists can be targeted. After that information was requested, a motion to table the item until the next meeting was made and approved.
